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Losing Authority
(Jerusalem Post) Khaled Abu Toameh - Zainab, the daughter of Khalil Zaban, a prominent Palestinian journalist murdered in Gaza City on Tuesday, was blunt: "These are gangs, a Mafia. I'm not afraid to say so. My father served the Palestinian cause for 40 years, and this is what he received in response." It is highly unlikely that the Palestinian security forces in the Gaza Strip would ever lay their hands on Zaban's assassins. These forces have failed to resolve similar attacks on journalists, newspaper offices, TV and radio studios, PA institutions and officials, and political activists belonging to various factions. A senior Fatah official explained, "Arafat considers the armed men to be his soldiers on the ground. He relies on them more than the security forces. That's why he pays them salaries and stays in touch with them. Sometimes he personally speaks to the leaders of the Aksa Martyrs Brigades in Jenin, Nablus, and Tulkarm." After Nablus mayor Ghassan Shakah's brother, Buraq, was gunned down in the city last November, the mayor handed Arafat a list of prime suspects and demanded that they be arrested and prosecuted. Arafat promised a special commission of inquiry, but the perpetrators continue to patrol the streets of Nablus, sometimes smiling at Shakah and flashing V-for-victory signs when he passes by. One Palestinian legislator said this week, "We are on the verge of civil war. Many officials believe Arafat has been weakened and they are exploiting this to establish bases of power. The battle of succession is already underway."