Fatah's 'morality police'

Using piety as an alternative to good and transparent govenance has been a time-tested formula in the lands of Islam. Fatah is simply following the fad. However, as in rest of the Muslim world, the idea of beating the Islamists on their home ground is more likely to boomerang on "non-Islamist moralists".


The new Palestinian Authority (PA) outfit's mission has been to bust anyone caught violating the fast during Ramadan, the Muslim holy month ending this week. That means potential arrests and jail time for simply chewing gum.

Although the enforcement of Ramadan customs is common in the Arab world, this is the first time the PA has instructed police to look for offenders. It's a move seen here as an effort by Fatah to compete with Hamas – seen by many Palestinians as the more pious and less corrupt Palestinian faction – for the hearts and minds of West Bankers.