Last week’s strange episode in the Palestinian embassy in the Prague, in which the Palestinian ambassador to the Czech Republic was killed by an explosion inside the building, escalated over the weekend into a potential scandal as reports emerged that Palestinians may be using the country as a transit point for European weapons smuggling. Jamal al-Jamal was killed last week when materials that were being kept in an embassy safe exploded, fatally injuring the Palestinian official. Conflicting details about the incident almost instantly emerged.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki said no foul play was suspected. Malki said the safe had been left untouched for more than 20 years. However, Palestinian Embassy spokesman Nabil El-Fahel told Czech radio it had been in regular use. “(The safe) was used on a daily basis at the embassy and it was opened and closed almost every day,” he said.

On Saturday a Czech media outlet published statements by the country’s former chief-of-staff Jiri Sedivy.

“Maybe the affair in question involves a well organised weapons and explosives distribution network, including the weapons´ further recipients,” said Sedivy, who now heads the security studies section at Prague´s CEVRO Institut university….”I´m horrified. This is not only a blatant violation of diplomatic norms and habits but also of security rules related to keeping such an arsenal, that also implies the tragic death of ambassador Jamal al Jamal,” said Sedivy.

The statements came amid reports that Czech officials had found roughly 70 unregistered weapons in the embassy. Suspicions that the Palestinians severely breached international norms are likely to deepen concerns that the Palestinian Authority lacks sufficiently robust political institutions to declare and sustain an independent Palestinian state.

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