www.proisraelforever.com Hamas militia returns to streets of Gaza
- From: proisraelforever@xxxxxxx
- Date: 27 May 2006 14:40:38 -0700
The Hamas-led government's private militia returned to the streets of
Gaza Saturday after a one-day absence, complicating efforts to end an
increasingly bloody standoff with President Mahmoud Abbas' rival Fatah
movement.
Although the force was out in limited numbers, angry Fatah officials
said the move risked setting off more violence and accused Hamas of
using the militia as a bargaining chip in the stalemate with Abbas.
Abbas has issued an ultimatum to Hamas to accept by next week a plan
for a Palestinian state alongside Israel. The plan implies recognition
of Israel and accepting it would effectively mean an end to Hamas'
stated aim of destroying the Jewish state.
Hamas officials signaled Saturday they would not honor the deadline.
The 3,000-strong Hamas militia has been at the center of the
Palestinian infighting. Hamas' decision to withdraw the black-clad
gunmen from public areas Friday was widely seen as a conciliatory
gesture.
Early Saturday, militia members were out again, this time stationed in
pairs at several major intersections and near the homes of senior Hamas
government officials. The situation appeared to be calm, and in some
instances, Hamas gunmen chatted freely with regular policemen.
Government spokesman Ghazi Hamad said there were no plans to send the
militia out in full force and the Hamas-run Interior Ministry will
deploy it only in specific cases.
"There will not be any friction," he said.
However, several hundred militants from a Fatah-linked militia
demonstrated outside the parliament building in Gaza City, demanding
that the Hamas militia be disbanded and calling on the group to accept
Abbas' plan.
Tawfiq Abu Khoussa, a Fatah spokesman, said the return of the Hamas
militia, even in small numbers, was "unacceptable and illegal."
"The lack of its presence on the streets yesterday brought great
relief. Their return signals the possibility of new friction," he said.
He accused Hamas of trying to carry out "political extortion" as the
two sides continue a dialogue aimed at ending the standoff.
Abbas announced Thursday that he was giving Hamas 10 days to accept a
proposal calling for a Palestinian state alongside Israel. Otherwise,
he said, he will call a national referendum on the plan, which is
expected to pass.
Hamas leaders are divided over the proposal, which was drawn up by
senior Fatah and Hamas militants who are imprisoned by Israel.
Prisoners held by Israel hold great weight in Palestinian society.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the group was not bound by the
10-day deadline. Abbas has given no indication that he would be
flexible on the deadline.
Officials from the two sides, along with smaller Palestinian factions,
had hoped to form a negotiating committee Saturday. But the talks broke
down over where to hold negotiations. Fatah favors the West Bank, where
Abbas' headquarters are located. Hamas prefers its stronghold in Gaza.
Abbas has been locked in a power struggle with Hamas since the Islamic
group defeated Fatah in legislative elections in January. Abbas,
elected separately last year, has been seeking to curb Hamas' authority
in security matters and is eager to restart peace talks with Israel.
Hamas decided to form the militia after Abbas placed a loyalist in
charge of forces that report to the Hamas-controlled Interior Ministry.
The militia was deployed for the first time earlier this month. That
set off days of clashes with Fatah-dominated security forces that left
10 people killed.
Abbas hopes to persuade Hamas to abandon its violent ideology to lift
the sanctions and pave the way for peace talks with Israel.
The militant group, which has killed scores of Israelis in suicide
bombings, has resisted intense international pressure to renounce
violence and recognize Israel, despite crippling economic sanctions
that have brought widespread hardship throughout the West Bank and
Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said talks are impossible as
long as Hamas wants to destroy his country.
He has said that if peace efforts remain stalled, he will unilaterally
set a final border with the West Bank. Olmert's plan calls for a
significant pullback from the area, but falls short of a full
withdrawal demanded by the Palestinians.
Abbas wants a future independent Palestinian state to include the Gaza
Strip and all the West Bank and east Jerusalem - areas captured by
Israel in the 1967 Mideast War.
.
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