More than two months after the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Authority seems to have failed in preventing many land thieves from laying their hands on the former area of Gush Katif.

PA officials here expressed fear over "increased transgressions" on the lands that used to belong to the settlements and called for immediate action against the perpetrators. They pointed out that some of the thieves belong to various branches of the PA security forces...

..."Each day that passes without the intervention of the PA helps in creating new facts on the ground," he said, referring to construction work that is being carried out on public lands. "This silence on the part of the PA has also led to a black market in real estate, where anyone can buy and sell without hindrance."

According to Sadek, who was recently appointed as PA ambassador to Romania, the land theft is pushing Palestinian society closer to the abyss.

In Khan Yunis, he added, the "festival of land theft" is under way while the PA is sitting and watching. "We see this silence as a scandal and an indication that things here are collapsing," he said. "The land grab is happening under the looking eyes of the security forces."