So a Fatah border guard asks his buddy, who is driving the PA Foreign Minister, our old buddy Mahmoud Zahar, to ask Zahar when the PA’s wages were going to be paid. A simple question, and one would think that Zahar, upon overhearing, might say to his constituent, “I’m working on getting money for you, but the Zionist and American devils are making it very hard on us!”
Except that’s not what happened.
According to Abu Nahala, these words enraged a-Zahar, who screamed at the policeman “You aren’t civilized†and spit in his face. A similar version of the story was recounted by police who were on the scene. Border police hurried to interfere, and pulled away the police officer after the two started cursing at each other and even pushing.
The report said that a-Zahar then returned to his car, called someone and demanded that “this policeman be educated.â€
“Teach him manners,†he said, according to witnesses. The officer reportedly gave a-Zahar his full name and details after the minister threatened to take steps against him.
And when someone in an organization like Hamas says “Teach him manners,” you know he doesn’t mean read him Emily Post.
According to Abu Nahal, a short time afterwards, some 50 armed gunmen from the Izz a-Din al-Qassam brigades,
Hamas’ armed wing, along with members of the new security unit established by Hamas, showed up at the crossing and spread out in the territory for some 45 minutes. In addition, a senior official in the Foreign Ministry instructed that the policeman‘s behavior be immediately investigated owing to his lack of manners and his “unbecoming conduct†towards the foreign minister.
But I like this quote towards the end of the article:
The police officer, Tahrir Lafi, 30, told a-Sharq al-Awsat, which is published in London, that when a-Zahar’s car stopped at one of the main gates of the Rafah crossing which he was guarding: “I asked the driver, my friend Muhammad al-Hindi to ask the minister when our wages would be paid, and he heard me. He opened his window and unleashed a stream of curses at me, spit on me and threatened to murder me.”
Way to handle popular opinion, Zahar! Keep up the good work, and there’ll be a civil war in no time. Whoops. I think there already is one:
Gaza: Gunmen kidnap, then kill Hamas member
1,000 former Fatah militants rally in support of Hamas government
If the policeman wanted to be paid, he should have asked how much al-Zahar was carrying on his person or in his car. Whatever the answer, the policeman and his fellow cops should then have searched the minister and the car for smuggled money. Lots of that going around right now. Some of it is even left for hotel maids.
chsw