Ghazi al-Jabali was the
Gaza Strip
The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...
Chief of the
Preventive Security Service, appointed by the
Palestinian Authority. Al-Jabali, who held the rank of
Major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
at the close of his tenure in the Palestinian security forces, had been a police commander and chief of the Gaza police since the early 1990s.
Since 1994 he has been the target of repeated attacks by
Palestinian
Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...
groups opposed to the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority, including gunfire aimed at his offices and a bomb that destroyed part of his house. He has also been the subject of a 1997 arrest warrant and extradition request from
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, based on accusations that he ordered Palestinian police officers to attack an Israeli checkpoint in July 1997.
Al-Jabali was the target of protests after the shooting deaths of three Palestinian teenagers during clashes with police forces; demonstrators claimed that al-Jabali had given police officers orders to shoot protesters throwing stones during a
Hamas
Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam ...
organized demonstration in support of
Osama bin Laden.
Al-Jabali resigned from his post as chief of police in Gaza in June 2002, during a security forces shake-up that also saw the dismissal of Colonel
Jibril Rajoub and the resignation of Colonel
Mohammed Dahlan
Mohammad Yusuf Dahlan ( ar, محمد دحلان) born on September 29, 1961 in Khan Yunis Refugee Camp, Khan Yunis, Gaza Strip also known by the kunya Abu Fadi () is a Palestinian politician, the former leader of Fatah in Gaza. Dahlan was ...
. Along with his resignation he announced his intention to oppose Yaser Arafat as a candidate for president of the Palestinian Authority. He was appointed chief of
Palestinian Civil Police Force
The Palestinian Civil Police Force ( ar, الشرطة المدنية الفلسطينية, ''al-Shurtah al-Madaniyah al-Filistiniyah'') is the Civil Police organization tasked with traditional law enforcement duties in the autonomous territory g ...
s in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in October 2003.
A February 2004 gunfight Gaza police headquarters was construed by some officials as an attempt on al-Jabali's life. Other officials blamed violence on his rival Mohammad Dahlan members of the body he formerly commanded, Preventive Security Service.
Al-Jabali was criticised for corruption and curbing press freedoms, as well as the arrest of Eyad Sarraj, a
civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life o ...
activist.
[Civil Police (al-Shurta Madaniyya)]
GlobalSecurity.org
On July 17, 2004, he was kidnapped at gunpoint by the Jenin Martyr's Brigade part of the
Popular Resistance Committees
The Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) ( ar, لجان المقاومة الشعبية, ''Lijān al-Muqāwama al-Shaʿbiyya'') is a coalition of a number of armed Palestinian groups opposed to what they regard as the conciliatory approach of t ...
, who ambushed his convoy and wounded two bodyguards. Al-Jabali was only released after Palestinian President
Yasser Arafat
Mohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf al-Qudwa al-Husseini (4 / 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), popularly known as Yasser Arafat ( , ; ar, محمد ياسر عبد الرحمن عبد الرؤوف عرفات القدوة الحسيني, Mu ...
agreed to fire him. He was replaced with Arafat's cousin,
Musa Arafat, a move which did little to restore public confidence in Police.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jabali, Ghazi
Fatah members
People from the Gaza Strip
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Palestinian police officers