Gaza Interior Ministry: "We do not need experts from abroad"

Report - Gaza Interior Ministry: "We do not need experts from abroad"

The Gaza Minister of the Interior Fathi Hammad said that the Interior Ministry is fighting a relentless war with the Israeli Occupation, requiring ongoing efforts to identify and incapacitate collaborators, who undermine national security by providing the enemy with information about the Gaza Strip. Hammad stressed that the Internal Security Service constantly and persistently pursues and collects data about spies.

"The Interior Ministry develops its security and administrative functions by implementing crackdowns, to spread awareness and to give collaborators opportunities for repentance," he explained to Interior Ministry's Raed Abo Jarad.

Minister Hammad calls upon parents to keep a watchful eye on their children in this age of high-tech communication, appealing for increased social and popular awareness.

Hammad also outlined the extraordinary progress accomplished by the Interior Ministry in the fields of administration, training, and security sciences education.

"Every year the Interior Ministry evaluates the performance of its agencies and administrative processes to identify and address any deficiencies, and to strengthen and build upon the successes in its general plans," he explained.

He pointed out that the Interior Ministry tries to build constructive relationships with all factions of the Palestinian people, saying that the door of the Interior Ministry is open to all citizens with a grievance, whose concerns can be solved either via Reform men or through judicial associations.

At the administrative level, the Minister assured that the Ministry uses a merit-based selection process, selecting its employees according their qualifications and personal integrity, and the examinations for vacant positions are advertised in the mass media.

Regarding electronic upgrading of the Ministry, Fathi Hammad revealed that the Ministry is making advances towards electronic government. "We have the capacity to attain electronic government, however ongoing Israeli attacks form an obstacle. Despite this, citizens’ affairs are being electronically archived in record time," he noted.

Concerning the Rafah Border Crossing, Hammad explained that the Interior Ministry is working hard to provide solutions to Crossing problems, acknowledging that the Rafah Border closure by Egyptian Authorities has led to a huge crisis.

Hammad observed that the Interior Ministry has developed a good relationship with citizens since the former Interior Minister, Said Syam, was assassinated in Alforkan War in 2008-2009, the 21-day Israeli war on the Gaza Strip which targeted the civilian headquarters of the Interior Ministry.

Hammad said the Interior Ministry does not face any difficulties in attracting quality recruits, but it does face difficulties with the lack of security and police headquarters, which were totally destroyed during the Alforkan war.

He said constructing new headquarters requires massive efforts, as the Interior Ministry has witnessed significant development over last five years at various levels, such as personnel and administration.

The Interior Minister emphasised that Gaza needs neither experts nor officers from abroad to train its cadres, saying, "We are entirely qualified to train our own as a result of our unique situation and experience.”

Fathi Hammad explained that the Interior Ministry has advanced security education by inaugurating the Palestinian Police Academy in 2009, which has recently opened two new faculties: Naval Sciences and Strategic Sciences.

Concerning plans for upgrading training opportunities in the Ministry, Hammad informed that the Interior Ministry has recently introduced schools for each specialty, such as the National Security Forces school, the Antidrug school and the General Intelligence school.

These additions will also assist with documenting the experiences of the security services in the context of training for affiliates of the Interior Ministry.

The Minister made it clear that the significant advancements in the professionalization of Gaza’s security services whilst maintaining and improving its surveillance and protective functions, were made without external assistance.

ENDS

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