Abbas declares Hamas militia illegal, raising stakes in factional battleThe Associated Press
Published: January 6, 2007
RAMALLAH, West Bank: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday declared
Hamas' paramilitary militia in the Gaza Strip illegal, raising the stakes in his standoff
with the Islamic movement.
Abbas made the announcement two days after members of the Hamas force attacked
the home of a senior security commander in Gaza, killing the man and seven of his
bodyguards. The man was a member of the Preventive Security force, which is loyal
to Abbas' Fatah party.
"In light of continued security chaos and assassinations that got to a number of our
fighters ... and in light of the failure of existing agencies and security apparatuses
in imposing law and order and protecting the security of the citizens, President Mahmoud
Abbas decided to reshuffle the security forces and its leadership and to consider the
(Hamas) executive force, officers and members, illegal and outside the law," Abbas'
office said in a statement.
Fatah and Hamas have been locked in a power struggle since the Islamic group defeated
Fatah in parliamentary elections a year ago. The dispute has centered around control
of the powerful Palestinian security forces.
-snip-