Petition for Security in the Old City
I have been busy the last couple of weeks organising a petition with a group of residents and traders from the Old City
170 residents, traders and visitors have so far signed the petition asking the Palestinian authorities to improve security in the Old City of Hebron. On Tuesday, 19th August a group of residents and traders went to meet Dr Khaled Qawasmi at the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee. He welcomed the petition and promised to help as much as possible. He suggested setting up $ area meetings within the Old City for residents and traders to meet with police and discuss how to co-operate to prevent crime.
Dr khaled set up meetings to present the petition to the Mayor and Governor of Hebron and the Chief of Police.
Khaled Asseli, the Mayor said that security in the Old City is a big priority for him. The biggest problem is the difficulty in getting co-operation from the Israeli authorities. He promised to speak to the President, Mahmoud Abbas about this issue.
Ale’ al Azeer, the Police Chief said that they are planning changes to the policing in the Old City. On 18th August he himself came to the Old City with 300 police to arrest 2 well known criminals. He said there will be extra police stationed here in Ramadan. He agreed to meet with traders and residents.
On Thursday we met Hussein ul Araj, the Governor of Hebron region. He said that in the last 12 months there has been no co-operation from the Israeli authorities. He believes that it is Israeli policy to encourage crime and trouble in the Old City in order to drive the residents and traders out. The Governor said that the police are now putting increased pressure on criminals in the Old City and that we should expect results within 2 weeks. He says we need to talk to the foreign ambassadors and ask them to put international pressure on the Israeli government to co-operate on security. He proposes calling a conference in the Old City for all foreign ambassadors to discuss security issues in the Old City. He thinks that this issue should always be on the agenda at all Palestinian negotiations with the Israelis.
The Minister of the Interior, Abdel Rezak al Yakhia, will visit Hebron next week and a group from the Old City will meet him. In Ramadan we will meet Salaam Fayad the Prime Minister when he visits Hebron.
