From: rhinoceros (rhinoceros@freemail.gr)
Date: Thu Aug 08 2002 - 06:59:16 MDT
Here is an study about Palestinians killing collaborators which I found at the Palestinian Birzeit University's site (www.birzeit.edu). It seems the Palestinian Authority has aknowledged the phenomenon of killing "collaborators" as a serious social problem during the first indifanda and they have been trying to address it. The problem involved various secular or religious groups taking the law upon themselves and targeting not only collaborators but also drug dealers, prostitutes and more. They quote numbers even higher than those quoted here, from Israeli IDF (942) and from Associated Press (771). It seems they don't give any slack, which might be explained by the fact that this phenomenon harms them too and challenges any authority. Of course, they also address the systematic practice of Israel to create thousands of collaborators, which largely enhances the effect.
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Center For Research & Documentation of Palestinian Society
http://www.birzeit.edu/crdps/palarch.html
Collaborators in The Occupied Territories, by Dr. Saleh Abdel Jawad & Yizhar Be'er (B'TSELEM, Feb. 1995)
The phenomenon of Palestinian collaboration with Israeli "created an an air of ubiquitous fear and Orwellian intimidation," and led to the deaths of over nine hundred Palestinians -- collaborators and others -- at the hands of fellow Palestinians during the Intifada. This study is one of the most comprehensive studies of this complex and multifaceted issue.
Introduction
http://www.birzeit.edu/crdps/intro.html
Interview with the author, Dr. Saleh Abdul Jawad
http://www.birzeit.edu/crdps/inter.html
Collaborators in the Occupied Territories (209 Pages, 362K)
http://www.birzeit.edu/crdps/collab.html
<snip from the introduction>
Since 1967, the security forces have recruited tens of thousands of Palestinians from the territories to serve as collaborators. This was made possible in part by the great dependence of the Palestinians on services provided by the Israeli administration. In recruiting collaborators, the security forces used methods that contravene international law, such as providing certain services only on condition that the recipient cooperate with the authorities. They also resorted to extortion and pressure, and offered various inducements.
The collaborators received preferential treatment from the authorities, and many of them took full advantage of their status. Collaborators, especially those who were armed, frequently used violence against other Palestinians, whether as part of their duties as collaborators or for personal motives. For these and other reasons, which are described in the report, broad sections of the Palestinian population fiercely objected to the activity of the collaborators.
The vacuum created by the collapse of all systems of law-and-order in the territories (police, courts, and officers of the court) during the Intifada was filled by squads or cells identified with the various organizations, both Islamic and PLO-affiliated, which took it upon themselves to impose order. As such, among other activities, they set about punishing suspected collaborators. Punitive measures were also taken against Palestinians who did not serve the authorities as collaborators but who were defined as such because their behavior was considered harmful to the society or to the Palestinian struggle. During the Intifada, attacks on individuals who were branded collaborators obtained legitimation and even support from broad sections of the Palestinian population.
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