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Not really. Here are the enemies within us!

Kidnappings are becoming frequent occurrence in the crowded chaos of Gaza, where gangs rule the streets. PNA and Mahmoud Abbas has been struggling to maintain law and order in the increasingly anarchic territory.

It is believed that the kidnappers of Kate Burton and her parents belong to one of these gangs.

Recent kidnappings of foreigners have ended without bloodshed and the hostages have been released unharmed after being held for a few hours or days. But these gangs operate almost with impunity.

Hostage-takers usually make local demands of the PNA, proving their toughness and organizational ability in the hope of gaining a job in the Palestinian security forces, or trying to secure the freedom of a relative already in custody.

This is not the first time. Two journalists, a Briton and an American, were taken hostage in October in Khan Yunis, the poorest area of Gaza. They were released after a tense but bloodless stand-off between PNA and the gang. No arrests were made.

In July, the PNA declared a state of emergency in the same, overcrowded area when four French aid workers and technicians and a Palestinian interpreter were kidnapped from a pavement cafe.

Unlike in Iraq, the kidnappings are not so much aimed at the foreigners themselves as at embarrassing Mahmoud Abbas and trying to show he has no control over the Gaza Strip. There is chaos in Gaza, with a total breakdown of the Palestinian authorities’ control. The main aim is just to demonstrate that no-one is safe. I suspect this latest group will be released unharmed.

Last week, masked gunmen abducted a Dutchman and an Australian and held them briefly while they demanded the release of a colleague from a prison in Jericho.

That’s not all. In Gaza City, more than 60 gunmen stormed the main election office, exchanging fire with some 500 security forces who rushed to the scene, surrounding the building and setting up roadblocks.

In another sign of growing tensions, witnesses reported that Israel continued bombarding Gaza with artillery shells last night, as it imposed a new “no-go” zone to prevent rockets being fired by Palestinian militants. The air strikes comes after the Islamic Jihad militant group rejected a call from Mahmoud Abbas to halt rocket attacks on Israeli towns.

What’s next?

Let’s not blame Israel for all our great misfortune and tribulation.

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