Gazans Must Spurn Internal Strife and Egyptian Rule

by Ramzy Baroud
2004.03.11

Khalid al-Zabin, a 59-year-old Palestinian journalist was ambushed outside his office in Gaza, on Tuesday, March 2. His body was riddled with bullets. All that is known about his executioners is that they wore masks. No faction has claimed responsibility for his murder and the Palestinian Authority has no suspects.

The disturbing episode is likely to be filed in the ever-expanding cabinet of Gaza’s victims of anarchy and disorder, where Israel is ultimately held responsible. This time however, the stakes are much higher, and blaming Israel alone, simply will not suffice.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned the murder and called on PA President Yasser Arafat to "act." RSF, among other groups, weighed up the crime in terms of its relation to a trend of assaults targeting Palestinian journalists by unknown assailants. Several other incidents were cited to further highlight the alarming trend: the ransacking of a newspaper’s office, the torching of a journalist’s car and others.