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Palestinian gunmen from the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a group linked to the Fatah Movement, hold their weapons as students hold a poster showing the bodies and pictures of Osama, Ahmed, and Salam, the children of senior intelligence officer Baha Balousheh who were killed in Gaza early Monday, during a demonstration in the West Bank city of Nablus, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2006. (AP)
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| By Ali Waked December 12, 2006 |
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Four people were wounded in violent confrontations that took place in Gaza on Tuesday, following the Monday murder of three children of a Fatah senior officer
Fatah gunmen opened fire towards the Hamas-run Palestinian Interior Ministry, no one was injured.
Simultaneously, hundreds of Palestinian security officials protested in a few of Gaza City's main intersections. During the protests, the officials fired shots in the air and called for vengeance.
Tuesday morning, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, assured Palestinian Intelligence Senior Officer Baha Ballousheh, the father of the three murdered children, that "the government will do whatever it takes to locate the children's murderers and prosecute them."
Haniyeh made this call just a few hours after the children's tension filled funeral.
During the funeral Gaza's former Mufti Abd El Karim Kahlut ruled a death sentence on the murderers. Nonetheless, Haniyeh rejected Fatah's demand that his government be dismissed following the anarchy in the Authority.
Hamas published an announcement saying that those responsible for the murder have an interest in igniting and provoking the internal Palestinian conflict.
"We caution against exploiting this incident for a political battle in the Authority," Hamas threatened.
'We'll 'execute those involved in murders'
Hamas Member Ismail El Ashkar went so far as to state that those who truly benefited from the murder are the Fatah activists that initiated the revolt against the elected Palestinian government.
On the other hand, members of the Fatah movement are furious. Fatah security officers said that "there cannot be a situation in which children are murdered and no one is held accountable."
An official announcement by the Intelligence unit in which the children's father served, called for the dismissal of the ruling government.
A less official, but more violent response came from al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, Fatah's military wing, who swore to get revenge and execute those involved in the murders.
Head of the Fatah Parliamentary bloc, Azzam Al-Ahmad, called on the Hamas government to resign due to the dead-end in the unity talks. Al-Ahmad denied claims that Fatah planned to overthrow the Hamas government by force.
Palestinian officials said Tuesday morning that in light of this incident, the chances of forming a Palestinian unity government are weak and that it is more likely that President Mahmoud Abbas would announce the formation of an interim government made up of professionals, until the next elections in the Authority.
This article first appeared on Ynet. |
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