Samah Sabawi

“The situation fell out of control and it became difficult for me to do my job.� It became difficult for the Ministry of Justice to operate, especially after the Palestinian Cabinet passed a ministerial decision that further limited our ability to work within our legal channels to implement law and order.�Basically, the wording of the new orders was vague and didn�t clearly establish boundaries for different departments within the government to operate.� It became impossible to work.” Palestinian Justice Minister Nahed al-Rayyes, who recently submitted his resignation, granted Samah Sabawi in Amman, Jordan this exclusive interview by telephone from his home in Gaza on 27 August 2004.

Palestine eNews, a service of Canadian Friends of Sabeel, interviewed Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative, during a Canada-wide tour, before carrying his message to the United States next week. Launched in 2002, Palestine National Initiative is a democratic Palestinian opposition movement that calls for a just and durable peace. It distinguishes itself from the current Palestinian Authority on key issues that touch the lives of Palestinians, not just in the Occupied Territories, but around the world.