[McClatchy/Kansas City Star] Dion Nissenbaum - The smell of charred books drifted through the ravaged rooms of the Islamic University's main library. "I can't recognize it," said math student Rihan Riha, 20. "It's totally destroyed." The attacks on competing colleges allied with the two factions are visible reminders of how deep the divisions between Hamas and Fatah run, how fragile their power-sharing deal may be and what could happen if the two return to open warfare. Forces loyal to Mahmoud Abbas stormed the Islamic University after claiming that Hamas was using it as a launching pad for mortar attacks. Virtually every building was set ablaze. Thousands of books in the central library were destroyed. The student union hall was ransacked. Offices across campus were torched. The Islamic University has long served as an intellectual incubator for Hamas. Virtually every major leader of the militant Islamist movement has taught or studied at the university. Afterward, masked gunmen believed to be with Hamas attacked Al Quds Open University with rocket-propelled grenades, stormed the three-story building, doused classrooms with gasoline and set them on fire. Dozens of computers were stolen, and scores more were destroyed, said university spokesman Assad Keita.
2007-02-15 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive