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Abbas in Line of Fire as Militants Refuse to Lay Down Weapons
(Telegraph-UK) Inigo Gilmore - A scheme to disarm wanted Palestinian militants is in crisis because hundreds of gunmen are refusing to take up jobs in the security forces - and many who do, Israel claims, are being allowed to keep their weapons. The issue is overshadowing Mahmoud Abbas's plans to visit Washington for talks with President George W. Bush on May 26. The dual inducements of a regular salary and the prospect of no longer being hunted by Israeli forces have not proved sufficiently alluring, with only 110 of more than 1,200 potential bombers and gunmen joining up so far. Not one is from Hamas, the group behind many of the worst attacks against Israel. "Abbas said they would collect their guns but they are letting them roam around with these weapons, now in the guise of the police. They are giving a stamp of approval to their activities and their weapons. This will not hold for long," said Sharon Feingold, an Israeli army spokesman.