Vital Perspective

Violence Intensifies in Gaza: Hamas Gunmen Open Fire on Women, Children

MediaLine reports that the violence in Gaza is intensifying, despite efforts by Hamas and Fatah leaders to rein in their armed wings. Hamas gunmen opened fire on a group of women and children to the north of Gaza City just a short while ago. Numerous women were wounded according to eyewitnesses.

The group was attempting to prevent Hamas from breaking into Palestinian General Intelligence headquarters where Palestinian Authority armed personnel were holed up. The women and children were barred from advancing and then gunmen opened fire on them, eyewitnesses said.

A panel of security officials from Egypt has met a team of Palestinian government staff in a bid to end the violence. According to Palestinian Interior Ministry spokesman Khalid Abu Hilal, the sides agreed a three point plan:

1. All armed forces return to their bases
2. Release all those kidnapped and currently held by Palestinian factions
3. Create a joint committee of all armed forces to discuss a path out of the deadlock.

Residents of Jabaliyya, to the north of Gaza City, have fled their homes fearing they may become the next victims of mortar attacks by Hamas' Executive Force. The force, established as a direct challenge to the official Palestinian security forces has been involved in heavy exchanges of gunfire with Palestinian intelligence officers in the area.

The violence reached a new peak today when the street battles moved inside Gaza's A-Shifa medical complex. Mortar shells were fired inside the hospital’s emergency room. A member of Hamas, Ismail Abu Al-Kheir was killed and 11 people were wounded during the battle.

Nine schoolchildren were wounded and two armed officers were also killed today. The dead men were loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The bodies of two intelligence officers were discovered in a dumpster after they had been kidnapped.

Poll Shows Significant Support for Early Elections from Both Hamas and Fatah

MediaLine reports that the first Palestinian opinion survey since Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for new elections shows a majority of 68 percent backing early elections. The poll, conducted by the Ramallah-based firm Near East Consulting, showed that support for elections was equally high among Fatah (69%) and Hamas (68%) supporters. Sixty percent of the population believes Hamas should participate in the election, but only 16% of Palestinians who view themselves as Hamas supporters, agree. The poll shows a significantly higher rate of trust for Abbas than for Hamas PM Ismail Haniyeh.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Calls for Elections; Hamas Calls it 'Coup'

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has officially called for new presidential and parliamentary elections, a dramatic challenge to Hamas that threatens to touch off a civil war. The Hamas government accused Abbas of carrying out a "coup" against the Palestinian people, who voted them into power 11 months ago. Hamas leaders, including FM Mahmoud Zahar, called on Abbas to resign.

Abbas' dramatic announcement — made after he despaired of persuading Hamas to form a coalition government with Fatah — further hardened the lines between the two political rivals, at a time when factional fighting threatens to escalate.

Abbas is taking a big political gamble by trying to end his power struggle with Hamas through new balloting. The balloting could be deprived of legitimacy if boycotted by Hamas. Also, if Abbas does not run — he has said he would not seek another term — Palestinian moderates would not have a strong candidate and could easily lose the presidential vote.
 
Aides said the vote would be held as early as March, and that a date would be set within a week.

"We are not going to allow elections to take place,” said Zahar. "This is a real coup. He has never accepted this government. He has never sat in one government meeting. He has never invited one government minister to meet with foreign ministers." 

Israeli government spokeswoman Miri Eisin said Israeli PM Ehud Olmert "respects Abu Mazen and hopes that he will have the capability to assert his leadership over the Palestinian people, and to bring about a government that will comply with the international community’s principles."

Hamas Accuses Fatah of Ambush on Palestinian PM Ismail Haniyeh's Convoy

Gunmen attacked a convoy carrying Palestinian PM Ismail Haniyeh during the night as it entered Gaza from Egypt, killing a bodyguard and wounding his eldest son. Hamas spokesman Ismail Radwan accused a senior Fatah leader, Mohamed Dahlan, of being behind the attack on Hania's convoy. "He is a leader of a coup and rebellion. He led a campaign of incitement against the government,'' Radwan said

MediaLine reports that Haniyeh says he knows who attempted to kill him when he crossed the border from Egypt into Gaza on Thursday night. Gunmen killed his bodyguard and injured his son and political adviser during the attack. Aides to Haniyeh are pointing the finger at Fatah after a week of violence between Hamas and Fatah.

The attempt on Haniyeh's life came at the end of several tense hours in which he was refused entry back into Gaza. It is widely believed the order to close the border to prevent his re-entry came from Jerusalem, however, Washington suggested the instructions were handed down by Abbas.

Fatah Supporter Throws Grenade into Hamas Rally; Abbas Plans Major Address

MediaLine reports that a member of the Fatah faction hurled a hand grenade into the center of a Hamas demonstration in Gaza earlier today. Two Hamas members were wounded and the attacker was subdued by Hamas security personnel.

The incident has further increased the already rising tensions between the two factions and comes amid media reports that Fatah troops loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and supported by the U.S. are deploying throughout Gaza. Abbas has scheduled a major policy address for Saturday. He is expected to announce the dissolution of the Palestinian government, a move opposed by Hamas.

Hamas-linked Judge Executed by Fatah in Street as Retribution for Children

Palestinian gunmen fatally ambushed a Hamas-linked judge and terrorist commander outside of a courthouse early today, escalating tensions in Gaza. The shooting came two days after the killing of the three young children of a Fatah-allied Palestinian intelligence officer, which sparked fresh conflict between Hamas and Fatah.

Palestinian security officials said the slain man was Bassam al-Fara, 30, a jurist at the Islamic court and a Hamas commander who belongs to the largest clan in the southern town of Khan Younis. In a statement faxed to reporters, Hamas openly accused what it called a Fatah "death squad" in al-Fara's killing.

"This is an ugly crime committed against one of the field commanders of Hamas' military wing and one of the prominent figures in Hamas," Barhoum said. "The fingers that shot him are the same fingers that were involved in the killing of previous Hamas leaders. Hamas is not going to forget the blood of its members. It is going to pursue and bring those who were involved in today's crime to justice."

Fatah spokesman Tawfik Abu Khoussa rejected the accusations. "We condemn all acts of anarchy, whatever may be behind them. We call on the brothers in Hamas to stop firing accusations before the investigation," he said.

Witnesses to the shooting said the four gunmen calmly ate breakfast at a food stand as they waited for al-Fara outside the courthouse. When al-Fara emerged from a taxi, three of the men grabbed him and forced him onto his knees, while the fourth pulled out a weapon and shot him. The attack left the sidewalk riddled with bullet holes.

Malaysia Reaffirms Commitment to Palestinians; PLO Urges Dissolving Govt

Malaysia, which chairs the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and is a former chair of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), declared on Thursday that the Palestinian issue is still its main agenda.

"Malaysia has in fact agreed to cooperate with the United Nations secretariat to organize the UN Regional Meeting For Asia and Pacific On The Question Of Palestine in Kuala Lumpur over three days from December 15 to 17," he said.

However, Malaysian advocacy for the Palestinians will not, apparently, spill over into financial assistance to the Hamas-led government. "Financial assistance is only a short term solution while in the long-term Malaysia will continue to champion the Palestinian issue at forums so that the importance and rights of the Palestinians are accepted internationally," Ahmad Shabery said.

Meanwhile, in Ramallah, the PLO Executive Committee has convened to discuss the current crisis on forming the national unity government. The meeting was headed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. According to the sources, the committee urged dissolving the Hamas-led government and holding early elections.

PLO Executive Committee Calls on Palestinian PM Haniyeh to Resign from Govt

The executive committee of the Fatah-dominated PLO has called on Palestinian PM Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas to resign. President Mahmoud Abbas, who belongs to Fatah and heads the PLO, has recently given up months of efforts to form a Hamas-Fatah unity government, saying this week the talks had reached a dead end.

Efforts to form a replacement government are under way, the main options being for Abbas to dismiss the Hamas-led government and form another, or to call a national referendum on whether new elections should be held. "The executive committee will discuss all the options and will take a final decision in three or four days," when Abbas returns from a trip to Gaza, PLO committee member Samir Ghosheh said.

The PLO wants Haniyeh to quit before decisions are taken on the next step. It cannot force him to resign, but its call is likely to put further pressure on him to step aside as efforts are made to replace his administration. Haniyeh left Gaza this week on a foreign tour and is not expected to return to the Palestinian territories for at least a month, possibly only in January.

Palestinian Official: Rice to Meet Abbas Thursday; Olmert Has No Plans to Meet

Palestinian officials have reported that Secretary Rice will meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during a visit to the West Bank on Thursday. "They will meet in Jericho," Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told Reuters on Tuesday.

The State Department said earlier this week that Rice, who is to attend an economic and development conference at a Dead Sea resort in Jordan, could also meet Palestinian and Israeli leaders amid efforts to build on a Gaza ceasefire. However, a spokeswoman for Israeli PM Ehud Olmert said there were no plans for him to meet Rice.

Haniyeh to Visit Egypt for Talks on Palestinian Unity Government, Gilad Shalit

According to Egypt's official news agency MENA, Palestinian PM Ismail Haniyeh will visit Egypt tomorrow for talks on the Palestinian national unity government and a prisoners' swap with Israel. Earlier on Sunday night, Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal wrapped up a three-day visit to Egypt, during which he held talks with Egyptian Intelligence Chief Omar Soliman and Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa.

Several Hamas leaders have paid intensive visits to Egypt recently for talks with Egyptian officials in an attempt to reach a solution to the issue of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who has been held hostage by Palestinian terrorists since he June 25.

Egyptians have been playing a mediating role between Hamas and Fatah as the two factions have been bickering for months over the formation of a unity government in place of the Hamas-led one to end the current economic and political crises in the Palestinian territories.