CHAOS IN GAZA

PA Failing to Secure Former Settlements - Khaled Abu Toameh (Jerusalem Post)
Amid increased reports that local families and militiamen have illegally seized many of the lands that were evacuated by Israel last August, Frieh Abu Medin, chairman of the PA's Land Authority, on Wednesday admitted that the PA has failed to take control of the former settlements in the Gaza Strip.

According to Abu Medin, the PA has invested at least $12 million to maintain the infrastructure of the former settlements, but "the money has gone down the drain," noting that Palestinian hooligans had destroyed almost everything.

"The security forces that were entrusted with protecting these places did not fulfill their duties." He also revealed that the PA's Agricultural Development Company has failed to administer the greenhouses left behind by the settlers.  A top PA official in Ramallah said that many businessmen were reluctant to invest in the former settlements because of the ongoing state of lawlessness and anarchy. "They're telling us that they don't want to put their money in an area controlled by thugs and thieves," he said.