Police Officer, Woman And Elderly Killed In Gaza Infighting

2005-10-03

PNA, Hamas Trade Accusations amid Ongoing Israeli Incitement

Palestine Media Center - PMC

www.palestine-pmc.com/ details.asp? cat=1&id=1009

The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) held Hamas responsible for armed clashes in Gaza City on Sunday that claimed the lives of a police officer and two bystanders, including a woman, and wounded 50 others, five of them seriously, amid mutual accusations of incitement between the PNA and the Islamic Resistance Movement, and on the backdrop of an Israeli military and political campaign to disarm Hamas and other Palestinian armed anti-occupation groups.

The Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) was scheduled to convene in the West Bank town of Ramallah on Monday to discuss the internal security situation.

There were conflicting reports over how the clashes began. The PNA accused Hamas of sparking Sunday's confrontation, but Hamas accused some PNA "elements" of fomenting the tension.

Palestinian officials said gunfire erupted after police officers interceded in a dispute between two men, one a member of Hamas.

But Hamas said its members acted when Palestinian officers tried to arrest Muhammad Rantisi, a Hamas official who is the son of late Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi.

As word of the confrontation spread, so did the shooting, first in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, where the initial incident took place, then the nearby Beach refugee camp. Numerous gunmen fired at a number of police stations.

The casualties filled the emergency room at Shifa Hospital, the city's main hospital. The wounded included ten policemen and Hamas members, the hospital said.

Violence later broke out at Shifa hospital, the main medical facility in Gaza City.

Police said Hamas gunmen threw grenades and fired guns at a police patrol, then tried to storm two police stations in Gaza City and in Shati refugee camp, killing police Major Ali Al-Makkawi.

32-year old woman, Hiyam Nassar, and an elderly civilian in his fifties were killed also in the clashes.

PNA Interior Ministry Blames Hamas

"Hamas bears full responsibility for the result of these acts and the serious violation of law and order and playing with the blood of our people," the Palestinian Interior Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said that a police vehicle was near an Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) when two Palestinians fought over their turns to use the machine. One of the two fighting Palestinians was later identified as a Hamas member, said the statement.

The police tried to stop the fight and the Hamas member called on a group of gunmen who targeted the police vehicle with a grenade, said the statement.

Policemen, who arrived to back up their colleagues in the scene, pursued the gunmen's car and captured the gunman who threw the grenade, the statement said, adding that Hamas, in response, mobilized a big number of its gunmen and opened up with RPG and machineguns in Al-Naser Street and Al-Shatie camp.

Two policemen and 20 Palestinian citizens were wounded and a power generator was damaged, said the statement, condemning the "criminal deeds" against the Palestinian policemen.

Hamas Denies PNA Statement

Hamas denied it started the melee. A spokesperson said police provoked the fighting by stopping a car with two of its members apparently to arrest them, and that angry Palestinians had attacked police stations in response.

The Islamic movement accused Palestinian police of attempting to arrest or kill Rantissi's son in Gaza City and said supporters had rushed to his defense.

It also charged that Palestinian security men shot at the home of Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar, and that his sons returned fire but he was unharmed.

Palestinian security forces had begun to ban weapons displays last Thursday, patrolling the streets and inspecting cars for arms, after securing the consent of 13 anti-occupation factions to the policy.

PNA: Nazzal Statements Untrue, Unjustified

A Hamas leader in exile had earlier on Sunday accused a "trend" in the PNA of inciting against his movement.

Some elements in the PNA were misleading the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas with negative reports about Hamas, Mohammad Nazzal told an audience in Beirut, Lebanon, that was marking the fifth anniversary of the Palestinian Intifada (uprising) against the 38-year old Israeli occupation of the West Bankand the Gaza Strip.

A Palestinian official presidential spokesman lashed at Nazzal's statements as "untrue," "unjustified" and an "attempt to sow infighting."

President Abbas is careful to maintain national unity and the Cairo Declaration, which 13 Palestinian factions unanimously endorsed in the Egyptian capital in March, the spokesman said.

Egyptian intelligence chief Gen. Omar Suleiman has reportedly invited leaders of various Palestinian factions to another round of dialogue in Cairo next month to "discuss a Palestinian working plan for 2006," according to top official of the ruling Fatah movement in the Gaza Strip, Samir Mashharwai.

The spokesman demanded that Hamas reconsider its media statements towards reinforcing "partnership and plurality" as the basis for national unity.

Separately Mashharwai said that Nazzal's statements were "incitement" and contributed to the tension in Gaza Sunday.

The steering committee of the 13 Palestinian factions convened late Sunday, immediately after the clashes erupted to contain further deterioration of the security situation.

The Higher Follow-up Committee of National and Islamic factions (steering committee), representing the 13 groups, called on Palestinians to demonstrate against Palestinian infighting.

The Gaza Sunday's clashes "is a big crime and a shame on all of us," which will make us 'loose our unity as well as the respect of the world," it said in a statement.

The fresh Palestinian infighting came on the backdrop of an Israeli military and political campaign to disarm Hamas and other Palestinian armed anti-occupation groups.

An Israeli week-long military offensive claimed the lives of a 13-year old Palestinian child and ten anti-occupation activists in the West Bank and Gaza strip. More than 415 other activists were also detained by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) in the West Bank.

Israeli Incitement Continues

However the IOF on Sunday announced the "suspension" of, but not an end to, the military operations in Gaza that began on September 24.

"We have suspended certain operations pending the actions of Palestinian security forces, specifically to dismantle terrorist infrastructures and disarm Hamas as a first step," said Raanan Gissin, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's spokesman.

"We'd like to see if the Palestinian Authority is willing and capable of taking advantage of the new situation. Now is the opportunity for them to take control," Gissin added.

Meanwhile Ariel Sharon told his cabinet Sunday that he told world leaders that the resumption of the peace process between Israel and the PNA hinges on the Palestinians' success in Gaza.

"The responsibility for what happens in Gaza has been passed on from Israel to the Palestinians. They have to prove themselves capable to succeed in Gaza," Sharon said during the weekly cabinet meeting.

Speaking of Hamas, Sharon said that Israel views the participation of the Islamic group in the January 25 Palestinian elections as "a threat," so long it has not disarmed and has not ditched its pledge to destroy the Jewish State.

"We warned that Israel views the participation of Hamas in the elections under the current conditions as a threat. This reality contradicts the Road Map (plan for peace) and our understandings with the Palestinians. We said that Hamas can participate in the elections only if it renounces violence, disarms and retracts its pledge to destroy the State of Israel," the Israeli prime minister said.

Reiterating his threat to disrupt Palestinian legislative elections early next year, Sharon said: "We made it clear that, although the elections are an internal Palestinian affair in which Israel cannot interfere, the participation of Hamas will determine the nature of Israel's cooperation with the PA during these elections, and will not allow us to extend our hand as we did during the elections for the PA chairmanship."

Source: IMRA – Independent Media Review and Analysis