Palestinians vs. Hamas

[QueEx]

Since the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and Hamas appeared to move into the gap, looks like there has been a brewing confrontation between the Palestinians and Hamas. Hamas has gained ground in local elections and has vowed not to stop its actions against Israel until Israel withdraws from all of Palestine and Israel has contended that Al Qaeda is setting up in would-be Palestine. Meanwhile ...

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<font size="5"><center>Palestinian group abducts Hamas officials</font size></center>

Associated Press
October 8, 2005

Hebron: A previously unknown group yesterday said it had kidnapped three Hamas officials in the West Bank, accusing the Islamic group of putting itself above the law.

Palestinian security officials confirmed the kidnappings of Bassem Abeido, in Hebron, Hassan Safi in Bethlehem and Riad Abdul Karim Al Raz in Tulkarem.

The three men, all local leaders of the militant group, were abducted by gunmen late on Thursday, though Karim was released early yesterday.

A group calling itself the Omar Bin Al Khatab Brigades claimed responsibility for the abductions. "Hamas doesn't care about the Palestinian law," the group said in a leaflet.

Professor Riad Abdul Karim Al Raz, head of the engineering department at A-Najah University and a political leader of the violent Hamas group, was freed yesterday with a torn short and black eye.

He said he had no idea who kidnapped him or what they wanted.

"People came and took me by force. They didn't treat me well, and then they apologised and told me I would be taken home," he said.

Asked whether he thought the kidnappers were affiliated with the ruling Fatah movement, which is competing with Hamas in upcoming parliamentary elections, Karim said: "I'm not sure myself who they are."

Kidnappings among rival Palestinian groups have been on the increase.

http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/RegionNF.asp?ArticleID=185615

 

[QueEx]

<font size="5"><center>Palestinian militant groups join in unity pledge</font size></center>

08 Oct 2005 20:45:35 GMT
Source: Reuters

By Cynthia Johnston

GAZA, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Rival Palestinian militant groups put up a united front on Saturday to denounce inter-factional kidnappings and violence that have undermined calls by President Mahmoud Abbas for law and order in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

"We announce all of the military wings are united in their position and destiny and that we consider any attack on any one of us as an attack on us all," eight factions, including Hamas, Islamic Jihad and al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, said in a statement.

"Any action aimed at spreading chaos or internal strife ... will be considered treason," said the statement, issued at a Gaza news conference attended by gunmen, some of them masked. "Our response will be unified and swift."

In the latest in a string of kidnappings widely believed to stem from factional rivalries, a Hamas member was abducted by unidentified gunmen in the West Bank on Friday but was released within hours. Several other Hamas men were snatched last week and freed unharmed.

Three people were killed in Gaza on Sunday in firefights between Hamas gunmen and Palestinian police, and 50 people were wounded when militants later tried to storm a police station.

Abbas has called on militant groups, which have spearheaded anti-Israeli violence over the past five years, to end what he describes as armed chaos and stop carrying their weapons in public.

Commenting to reporters on the militants' announcement, Abbas condemned the appearance of armed, masked men at the news conference.

"Such images are rejected completely and we will deal with them by imposing order through the Palestinian security forces in a way that does not harm Palestinian citizens," Abbas said.

DISARM AND DISMANTLE

Israel has complained he has not gone far enough and must disarm the factions and dismantle "terrorist infrastructure" in accordance with a U.S.-backed "road map" that sets out mutual steps leading to the creation of a Palestinian state.

Abbas, who declared a truce along with Israeli leader Ariel Sharon last February and coaxed militants into announcing a "period of calm" until the end of the year, wants to co-opt gunmen rather than confront them, warning of a risk of civil war.

The two are expected to meet in the coming week ahead of Abbas's White House talks with U.S. President George W. Bush on Oct. 20 amid heightened hopes for peacemaking following Israel's completion of a pullout from the Gaza Strip on Sept. 12.

Israeli and Palestinian officials planned to meet on Sunday for another round of preparatory talks ahead of the Abbas-Sharon summit, which is not expected to yield any breakthroughs.

Abbas, repeating his intention to press Sharon to release Palestinian prisoners and pull troops away from West Bank cities, said his first talks with the Israeli leader since the Gaza withdrawal had to be prepared carefully.

"We do not want to disappoint the Palestinian public or the Israeli public," Abbas told reporters.

Speaking on Israel Radio, Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom reaffirmed Sharon's refusal to restart talks on Palestinian statehood until Abbas cracked down on militants.

"Our demand is unequivocal: they have to act against terrorism decisively," Shalom said.

"I think if they do that, we would be willing to take a long series of measures that would ease things for them. Our aim is to march together towards a resumption of talks, but in accordance with the road map and devoid of shortcuts which the Palestinians are interested in."

(Additional reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza)

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L0883483.htm

 

[Greed]

Hamas, Fatah pledge to defuse tension after clashes

Hamas, Fatah pledge to defuse tension after clashes
By Nidal al-Mughrabi
Sat Apr 22, 7:07 PM ET

The Hamas-led Palestinian government and President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah group agreed early on Sunday to try to end tensions between them after their supporters clashed in the worst internal fighting in months.

The armed confrontations in Gaza on Saturday, which wounded 20 people, followed the condemnation by exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal of Abbas's veto of a new Gaza security force, formed by Hamas and headed by a top militant.

"The two parties have agreed to call on our people to stop all forms of tension and to cement national unity," Fatah spokesman Mahar Meqdad told reporters after a meeting between the groups, mediated by Egyptian officials.

Officials from the groups did not elaborate on what practical steps would be taken on the ground to stop violence.

"Internal orders were given to guarantee there would be no return to friction," said Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri, adding that a joint Hamas-Fatah committee would be formed to discuss how to handle any future disputes between the groups.

The appointment of Jamal Abu Samhadana, head of the Popular Resistance Committees which has often attacked Israel, as leader of a new Gaza police force was widely seen as an attempt by Hamas to strengthen its grip on the Interior Ministry.

Abbas canceled the decision, a veto Meshaal said assisted a Western campaign to isolate the Palestinian government.

Students and militants loyal to Hamas or to Fatah took to the street, exchanging gunfire in Gaza and wounding 20 people.

Chanting "Meshaal is a traitor," thousands of Fatah loyalists marched in Gaza, some firing rifles in the air. Many also protested in the West Bank.

Meshaal said after the violence on Saturday that Hamas respected Abbas's authority and called for Palestinian unity, saying: "We were united during the (uprising) in confronting the Israeli occupation. Today we have to be united in politics."

The Interior Ministry said the new Gaza force would work from within the existing security establishment, headed mainly by Fatah loyalists, but Abbas's aides said only the Palestinian president could make decisions regarding the government.

The Gaza Strip has seen growing lawlessness in recent years among members of rival armed groups but Hamas and Fatah had rarely engaged in violent confrontations.

Hamas, a militant group sworn to destroying Israel, beat Fatah in a January vote to head the Palestinian government.

Hamas carried out about 60 suicide bombings during a 2000 uprising but has largely abided by a truce since last year.

Cabinet spokesman Ghazi Hamad said aides to Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh would meet to try to solve the Gaza security dispute ahead of a meeting between the leaders later in the month when Abbas returns from a visit abroad.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/mideast_...foUvioA;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

 

[Greed]

Hamas Militiamen, Palestinian Police Clash

Hamas Militiamen, Palestinian Police Clash
By RAVI NESSMAN, Associated Press Writer
39 minutes ago

Hamas militiamen and Palestinian police attacked each other with assault rifles and grenades in a chaotic firefight Monday that turned downtown Gaza City into a battlefield and killed an aide to the Jordanian ambassador.

The shootout near the parliament building, which also wounded 11 people, was the worst fighting since the Hamas-led government sent its militia into the streets last week and increased fears the Palestinians were careening toward civil war.

The violence, which has killed eight people in two weeks, was fueled by a bitter power struggle between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a moderate from the Fatah Party, and Hamas militants who won January parliamentary elections and gained control of the Palestinian Cabinet.

The tension has played out on street corners throughout the Gaza Strip, where the bearded members of the 3,000-member militia — wearing their trademark camouflage pants, black shirts and black caps — stand guard a feet away from the Palestinian police, many of whom are Fatah loyalists.

Some of the Hamas militants appeared jumpy Monday, holding their rifles at the ready with their fingers hovering near the triggers. A rumor circulated through one group of fighters that it was in the cross-hairs of police snipers.

There are those on both sides who believe they can benefit from the fighting. Some Fatah officials are confident they will emerge victorious and be returned to power, or at least cause enough chaos to bring down Hamas.

Abbas, who has railed against the violence, told the Palestinian daily Al Quds that he has the power to disband the government and call elections. "But such a decision would not be justified unless Hamas gets a full opportunity (to rule)," he said. "If it fails, then we can talk about disbanding the government."

Hamas officials believe the new force is the only way they can assert power and gain respect after Abbas seized control of the Palestinian security branches.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Tom Casey condemned the violence and criticized the Hamas-led government for failing to protect its people. "We're troubled by this kind of escalation in intra-Palestinian violence," Casey said.

The nearly hourlong shootout Monday sent Palestinians fleeing and left a wide swath of Gaza City deserted.

The Preventive Security Service, a branch loyal to Abbas, said the fighting started when Hamas militiamen stopped one of its vehicles and fired on it. Hamas said the trouble began when some of its members came under fire during a patrol, sought cover and fired back.

A running battle ensued, with Hamas gunmen sealing off streets between the parliament and police headquarters and taking up positions behind trees, walls and cars. Some Hamas gunmen holed up in two buildings under construction hurled grenades and fired a rocket-propelled grenade at police. Palestinian police responded with rifle fire.

A small group of black-clad women marching with signs protesting the chaos ran for cover when gunfire erupted behind them.

Elsewhere, a car raced down a street and screeched to a halt after the driver was wounded. Hamas fighters accidentally shot at another car, which was carrying their comrades.

Khaled Radaida, 55, an aide to the Jordanian ambassador in Gaza, was killed as he drove past the gunfight in his Audi, which had a red diplomatic license plate. Three bullets hit the car's front windshield.

TV footage showed a Hamas gunman pressed against a wall firing a burst of gunfire across the road before a comrade fiercely gestured for him to stop. A few moments later, the Jordanian vehicle, with a bullet hole in the windshield, was seen slowly moving down the road before stopping and rolling backward.

The ambassador, Yehiya Qarallah, was not in the vehicle. He was taken under police escort to the morgue to identify Radaida and sobbed as he left the building.

Jordan demanded an immediate inquiry into the shooting, which came amid increased tensions between Hamas and the Jordanian government. Jordan has accused Hamas of smuggling weapons into the kingdom for use in attacks against public institutions and officials.

Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh called the Jordanian ambassador, offering condolence and pledging an inquiry.

Fatah held Hamas responsible for the killing. Maher Maqdad, a Fatah spokesman, said the existence of the new militia violated the law, and it had no business patrolling near police headquarters. "When are they (Hamas leaders) going to realize that this unit is illegal and when are they going to dismantle it?" he said in a text message to The Associated Press.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the fighting was triggered by "suspicious figures" who he said fired on both Hamas and police to stir trouble.

In all, 11 people were hurt, including a paramedic sent to tend to the wounded, hospital officials said.

The fighting followed two weekend assassination attempts against security commanders loyal to Abbas. Fatah officials hinted they believed Hamas was behind the incidents but stopped short of making an open accusation.

Early Monday, a gunman linked to Fatah was killed near the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. Fatah said two of its fighters were ambushed in their car, while Hamas said the firefight was triggered by a Fatah attempt to kidnap a Hamas member. A second Fatah gunman was wounded.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060522...pRI2ocA;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--