Palestinian investigators and British consular officials were on Thursday night urgently trying to make contact with the Palestinian group who abducted a British aid worker and her parents in the Gaza Strip, more than 24 hours after they disappeared.
Unlike previous kidnappings of westerners in Gaza, usually resolved within hours, the kidnappers made no contact with the authorities to make demands or arrange for the release of Kate Burton (25) and her parents Hugh and Helen. They were snatched by seven armed men in Rafah, a deprived town in a very poor area.
On Thursday night the Burton family issued a statement saying they were concerned about Kate’s safety. ”Kate is a warm and loving person, and has been working as a volunteer in Gaza for the past year, trying to do what she can to help the situation there.” They said they would make no further comment.
Palestinian police set up roadblocks throughout the southern Gaza Strip and representatives of all sectors of Palestinian society, including Hamas, demonstrated for the release of Burton and her parents. A British consular official in Gaza said they were working closely with the Palestinian authorities to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.
The disappearance of the three Britons was just another element of the growing anarchy in Gaza on Thursday. Israeli forces bombed roads in the northern Gaza Strip to hinder the firing of rockets at Israel, and Palestinian gunmen attempted to take over a police station in the Gaza City suburb of Shojaia.
In a separate incident, two men were killed in a clan feud which erupted after a man was arrested by police. The initial gunfight led to shooting throughout Gaza City, including one incident close to the home of the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, who was not in Gaza.
While the kidnapping of foreigners has been a regular occurrence in Gaza, the identity of the kidnappers and their demands have always been clear. Since the withdrawal of Israeli settlers and soldiers from the Gaza Strip, international organisations have become increasingly concerned by the kidnapping trend and are worried that the Palestinian Authority (PA) is unable to impose order.
Earlier this year, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which provides government services for Palestinian refugees, moved most of its foreign staff to Jerusalem. Last week the British Foreign Office warned Britons not to travel to the Gaza Strip. Visitors to the Gaza Strip were previously at risk from Israeli army operations but now the threat is from armed gangs, some connected to militant factions, others to criminal groups.
There has been no change in the friendly attitude of the vast majority of Gazans to foreign aid workers, journalists and diplomats but they have become viewed as pawns in a struggle for power and resources.
The cause of the anarchy is the inability of the PA to impose its authority over the armed men who fought against Israeli forces since the beginning of the second intifada in 2000. Since the withdrawal of Israel, for which the armed men claim credit, the fighters have raised their demands for political power and jobs in recognition of their efforts. The Gazan economy is dominated by the bureacracy of the PA and there are few opportunities in farming, commerce or working in Israel.
The frustration has been manifest in attacks on public figures and institutions, the election process, Israel and the abduction of foreigners. The anarchy is almost totally associated with the Fatah movement, while Hamas stands at the sidelines, viewed by many Gazans as the only faction with any credibility.
Until recently, foreigners could walk freely throughout the Gaza Strip, now Gazans advise them to keep to their cars and hotels and to keep a low profile. The abduction of Burton and her parents is believed to have been an opportunistic act. The majority of foreigners working in Gaza had left for Christmas and those who remained would be in Gaza City.
Burton and her parents spent Christmas in Bethlehem but travelled to the Gaza Strip this week, according to friends and colleagues. The aid worker got to know the region after working for more than a year on projects connected to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.
Ihab Shanti, the head of communications at UNDP, said she took her parents to Gaza to show them her perspective of the situation there. ”It is very worrying because no group has claimed responsibility and they have detained them for longer than usual. We are all praying that nothing worse happens,” he said.
The issue of kidnapping was often the subject of jokes among foreigners in Gaza. Dozens have been held for a short time and treated well while their captors tried to negotiate jobs with the PA.
In Gaza, Burton kept busy and rarely socialised. During the day she worked for the al-Mezan human rights organisation, raising funds and organising the passage of Gazans to Israel for medical treatment. In the evening she taught English.
Dareen Abu Jehal said Miss Burton had visited her home several times. ”She was very excited at the prospect of living and working in Gaza, which she said she preferred to the West Bank.
”We didn’t see her often because she worked so hard and was often tired. I think she has the character to handle this kind of situation well and she has a pleasant way of speaking Arabic.”
Her husband, Omar, said they had joked about her being kidnapped . ”But we are very shocked that it has actually happened and we are doing everything to get information that could help her,” he said.
Ala Matar, a colleague at al-Mezan said the organisation’s 30 workers were combing Gaza trying to find information. ”We are speaking to faction leaders, family heads and even drug dealers, anyone who might know something,” he said. – Guardian Unlimited Â