Palestinian fugitives draw hospitals into line of fire

Banura was taken from his house at 4 a.m. on May 1 by soldiers who ordered him to open the hospital, he says. "There was two hours of shooting, and helicopters fired missiles. They arrested 12 persons, seven were employees who they later released. The patients were astonished and traumatized, they became more tense. We spent two weeks supporting the patients to lessen their trauma. Most were frightened and wanted to run away. They said it is dangerous in the hospital."

The raid on the psychiatric hospital was on the mind of Dr. Peter Qumri, director of King Hussein Hospital in the neighboring city of Beit Jala, when he discovered there were fugitives on the grounds in May. A hospital staffer says that, with Israeli troops surrounding the hospital, Dr. Qumri searched the premises and discovered three armed fugitives from the Aqsa brigades hiding in one of the buildings. He ordered them to leave immediately, which they did, the staffer said. Four days later, Dr. Qumri's car was torched.

"This is a hospital, not a place where these people should hide," Qumri says. "If something happens, the patients will pay for the exchanges of fire. As director of the hospital and as a human being, I have to stop this illogical action. If [the fugitives] belong to a faction, the faction leader should find them a place to hide. This is the only general hospital in the district and it serves 150,000 inhabitants. If we lose it, we cannot cover the health needs of the population. I'm not against their aims, but to expose the hospital to Israeli fire is unacceptable."

A spokesman for the al-Aqsa brigades, who identifies himself as Abu Mujahid, says: "It is not a policy to use public institutions to hide. It is a last resort for a person on the run.

"We are part of the people, and it is normal that people give us all kinds of protection. However, it is much recommended that we avoid exposing children and patients to any Israeli retaliation," he says.

Bethlehem's Governor, General Zuheir Manasra, says: "I am sorry that they don't respect the special character of institutions like hospitals, schools, and churches. It cannot be accepted. We try all the time to stop it, but Israel is controlling everything here. Israel has destroyed the capacity of the Palestinian security services and the political process, and it is occupying Bethlehem. It forbids our security forces from carrying weapons. The PA is concerned with facing violence and in many cases succeeds, but the capability of the PA to enlarge this activity is limited because of daily Israeli interventions and incursions. The Israelis deliberately try to create chaos and disorder."

General Manasra says that the most the PA can do to fugitives is send them away from an institution, not arrest them.

"They are breaking the law, but I cannot arrest them because I have no guarantee the Israelis won't come and take them from the prison," he says. "There is also a moral side. People will ask, 'How can you tolerate the Israeli soldiers carrying weapons and driving tanks in the streets of Bethlehem and then chase after Palestinians when they are trying to defend themselves?' "

Captain Dallal says the problem is not the army, but rather that the PA "has no will to act against terrorists. If weapons were used against terrorists and to establish law and order, we wouldn't stop it, but [instead] they are used against us."

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