Re: Abbas & Fatah's machine-gun 'moderation' in West Bank

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Posted by LA Times on 23:20:02 2007/06/22

In Reply to: Re: No funding and no surrender to the Muslim fanatics posted by Melanie Phillips Diary

Your browser does not support inline frames, or it has been configured incorrectly. If page does not display on your browser, please <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/la-fg-westbank21jun21,0,2809905.story?coll=la-tot-topstories&track=ntothtml">CLICK HERE</a>. Gunmen on rampage in West Bank - Los Angeles Times 8:20 PM PDT, June 22, 2007 Jobs Cars Real Estate Apartments Shopping | Weather Traffic HOME MyLATimes Site Map News California | Local National World Entertainment News Business Sports Politics Opinion Columnists Print Edition Print Edition What is RSS? --> Calendarlive Travel --> Travel --> Real Estate --> West Magazine Home & Garden Health Food L.A. Wheels Books --> Image --> Obituaries Crossword, Sudoku All Sections Corrections Buy, Sell & More Jobs Cars Real Estate Apartments Personals Deals at Local Stores Coupons Newspaper Ads Place an Ad LAT Media Group latimes.com Member Services Sign Up Log In Help Contact Us L.A. Times Archives HOME DELIVERY Customer Support Subscribe var tJob = document.location.toString(); if ( (tJob.indexOf("trb/business/") != -1) || (tJob.indexOf("com/business/") != -1) ) { document.write(' '); document.write(' '); } else if ( (tJob.indexOf('trb/classified/jobs/') != -1) || (tJob.indexOf('com/classified/jobs/') != -1) ) { document.write(' '); document.write(' '); } else { //do nothing } Top News Single page Print E-mail story Change text size Gunmen on rampage in West Bank Angered by Hamas' takeover in Gaza, Palestinian militias linked to Fatah are sowing retribution. By Richard Boudreaux, Times Staff Writer June 21, 2007 Palestinian guard click to enlarge Supporter click to enlarge Map NABLUS, WEST BANK — For much of the last week, Fatah gunmen in black masks have ruled the streets here, abducting rivals, looting or burning their property, and intimidating elected officials inside the Hamas-run City Hall. Demoralized by Hamas' military defeat of their comrades in the Gaza Strip, the gunmen are sowing retribution across the West Bank. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, of Fatah, said Wednesday that the lawlessness was the most pressing problem facing the emergency government he appointed Sunday in the West Bank. "We have seen chaos here before, but this is different. The police have lost control," said Hafez Shaheen, a Hamas municipal legislator who has abandoned his City Hall office in Nablus, the largest West Bank city and epicenter of the violence. "People are afraid for their lives." U.S. and Israeli officials, stung by the Islamic movement's takeover in Gaza, have begun to treat the two Palestinian territories as separate entities. They are squeezing Gaza, and have pledged to spend money and diplomatic effort on the West Bank, in hope of turning it into a model new Palestine that can make peace with Israel. The violence here reflects a complex reality posing more troublesome scenarios. Most of the attacks have been carried out by the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a decentralized Fatah militia that is nominally loyal to Abbas but acts beyond his control. Like Hamas, it is branded by Israel and the U.S. State Department as a terrorist organization. The victims of the rampage apparently are unarmed Hamas sympathizers or members of the Islamist group, which enjoys wide popular support in the largely secular West Bank as an alternative to the corrupt rule of the secular Fatah. Hamas won the mayoral race in Nablus and at least a share of municipal power in five other West Bank cities in elections in 2004 and 2005. In January 2006 voters ended Fatah's control of the legislature for the West Bank and Gaza. The West cut off aid because Hamas does not recognize Israel or previous accords, and has not renounced violence. The boycott cost the movement some of its popularity here, but it still has deep roots in civil society and remains in charge of Nablus' municipal affairs. "Hamas has a power base and popular backing here," said Taysir Nasrallah, a member of Fatah's leadership council from Nablus. "You can't erase that with a decree." Less visible here is Hamas' armed wing, the Izzidin al-Qassam Brigade, which led last week's Gaza takeover. Hamas' armed strength in the West Bank is hard to assess, but Palestinian officials believe the group has several hundred fighters organized in sleeper cells here, many of them in Nablus. City officials worry that the Fatah assaults will provoke an armed Hamas response, plunging Nablus into Gaza-style mayhem. "It's not a matter of who's stronger," said Yahya Arafat, a Fatah member of the city council. "There's enough force on both sides to destroy us all." Nablus already is a battleground for three contending forces. The Israeli army raids the city of 180,000 people almost nightly in search of Fatah and Hamas militants. "Nablus is the capital of terror of the West Bank," said Capt. Noa Meir, an Israeli army spokeswoman. The Al Aqsa militia arose in 2000, at the start of the second intifada, or uprising, against Israeli occupation. But many of Al Aqsa's units have since turned to armed robbery and extortion. Every elected Palestinian leader pledges to rein in the militia, only to back away when it stands up to fight off the Israelis or Hamas. Nasrallah, the Fatah leader, said Nablus police were starting to crack down on Al Aqsa-based car theft rings when the fighting in Gaza gave the militants a reprieve. Single page 1 2 >> Triple seven weddin' Lucky in love? Ante up. The wedding industry sees 07/07/07 as a jackpot. = sbtimeout) { eval('clearInterval(sbinterval_'+sbscript_id+');'); var sbext_scr = document.getElementById(sbscript_id); if (sbext_scr) { if (!document.all) { sbext_scr.src = ''; } if (window.sbtimeoutsticky) { document.cookie = "sbtimeout=1"; } var sbext_scrParent = sbext_scr.parentNode; sbext_scrParent.removeChild(sbext_scr); } } } var sbtimeout=5; var sbtimeoutsticky=1; var sbtimeout_counter = 0; var sbinterval_envoy_scr = setInterval('sbcheck_timeout(\'envoy_scr\')', 1000); document.write(' '); //--> ADVERTISEMENT More Top News - Civil rights lawyer Yagman found guilty of tax evasion - Bush meets with Vietnamese counterpart - Possible closure of King hospital saddens local leaders Most Viewed Most E-mailed Related News submylatimes(''); ADVERTISEMENT Copyright 2007 Los Angeles Times Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Advertise | Home Delivery | Permissions | Contact Partners: Hoy | KTLA | Careerbuilder.com for jobs | Cars.com for autos | Apartments.com for rentals | ShopLocal | FSBO (For Sale By Owner) | Open Houses Boodle.com for Grocery Coupons | Houses for Rent | Recycler for Free Classifieds var trbcat="news:main"; =0)document.write(unescape('%3C')+'\!-'+'-') //-->

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Follow Ups:

Re: Gaza is the real Palestine - Mark Steyn on The Hugh Hewitt Show 23:36:56 2007/06/22 (1)
- Re: Non-existent Israel is safe haven for Palestinians fleeing Palestine - Licia Corbella in Toronto Sun 10:39:56 2007/06/23 (0)

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