Palestinians fire at Abbas compound
Reuters
Date: 03-30-05
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Gunmen linked to the ruling Palestinian faction Fatah have fired at President Mahmoud Abbas's compound, causing no casualties.
The half-dozen assailants, who also rampaged in a restaurant in the West Bank city of Ramallah, identified themselves as breakaway Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades members who had rejected a request by the Palestinian Authority to lay down their arms.
"We wanted our voice to be heard," one of the group told Reuters on Wednesday. "We want our rights and we want protection."
A militant representing the al-Aqsa leadership said that the splinter group, comprising former members of the Palestinian security forces, were reluctant to resume their old jobs without a guarantee that their employment terms would be improved.
Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon declared a ceasefire in February, stirring hopes of an end to more than four years of fighting. Under the deal, Abbas pledged reform while Sharon granted temporary immunity to militants who disarm.
Abbas left his headquarters shortly after the shooting but came back for consultations with security chiefs, Palestinian officials said. On his return, some 70 al-Aqsa militants also arrived, demanding to speak to the president face-to-face.
Though it spearheaded the decades-old Palestinian quest for independence, Fatah has been riven by infighting over corruption allegations and challenged by hardline Islamist group Hamas.
Abbas is from Fatah's old guard but favours reform to rein in militants, boost law and order, solidify the truce and secure a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. But he lacks the absolute authority of his predecessor, Yasser Arafat.
Some militants, used to life on the run, fear they will be sidelined in the new nation-building. Earlier this month, a group of al-Aqsa gunmen broke up a meeting of Fatah reformists.
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