(Jerusalem Post) Khaled Abu Toameh - PA officials in Ramallah on Wednesday warned that Hamas' launching of a new security force in the Gaza Strip undermined PA Chairman Abbas and was seen as a declaration of war on Abbas' Fatah party. The force is led by Jamal Abu Samhadana, a former commander of the Popular Resistance Committees who has long been wanted by Israel because of his involvement in terrorism. PA officials said the new force was actually a Hamas army, noting that over 90% of its members belonged to Hamas' armed wing, Izaddin al-Kassam. The launching of the new force comes amid mounting tensions between Hamas and Fatah, whose supporters have been fighting almost daily battles in Gaza. Hamas gunmen are believed to be responsible for a series of shooting attacks on the homes and cars of several PA security officers over the past few days.
2006-04-18 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive