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Palestinian Mafia
(Toronto Star) A fragmented array of heavily armed criminal gangs has turned the intifada on itself. As many as eight separate factions in Nablus lay claim to the title Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the radical offshoot of Arafat's Fatah movement. According to Palestinian legislator Moa'wah al-Masri, "For the past two weeks, the Palestinian police have gone through the motions of spreading out in the streets to create the appearance they have things under control. But people make fun of them. Last week, one young man ran up to three of them and said: 'Be careful, the Israeli army is coming.' They dropped their guns on the spot, tore off their uniforms and ran away, terrified. There was no army coming, of course, but by the time they returned, their guns had vanished." Masri holds Arafat directly responsible for the lawlessness. "If he truly had the will to do something about it, he could have the situation under control within 24 hours."