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President Mahmoud Abbas. Sweating it out. (AP file)
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| By Associated Press February 10, 2005 |
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Reacting forcefully Thursday to Hamas rocket and mortar fire in Gaza in defiance of a fresh cease-fire with Israel, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas fired his top security commanders and sent a message to the militants that he will not tolerate further truce violations.
Among senior officers to lose their jobs were the top two commanders, Brig. Gen. Abdel Razek Majaidie, chief of public security, and police chief Saeb al-Ajed, security officials said, a clear sign that Abbas is serious about enforcing the two-day-old truce.
Hamas claimed responsibility for salvos of rockets and mortars -- 30 mortars and 26 rockets, one of the biggest barrages in four years of violence -- aimed at two settlements in southern Gaza, Neve Dekalim and Gedid. The military said there were no casualties. Israeli TV stations showed video of minor damage to some houses.
Hamas said the barrage was retaliation for the death of two Palestinians on Wednesday. One blew himself up with a bomb he was apparently trying to plant, and the other was shot dead by soldiers as he approached a settlement.
Also Thursday, armed Palestinian stormed the main Palestinian Authority jail in Gaza and killed three prisoners, part of a clan feud. Later, seven people were arrested, security officials said.
Abbas took the prison assault, as well, as an affront.
"These are very dangerous developments, and they violate the legitimacy of the Palestinian Authority," Palestinian Cabinet Secretary Hassan Abu Libdeh said. "No one can continue with these violations."
In a two-pronged response, Abbas sent a stern warning to the militants after firing his security commanders. First he postponed Thursday's trip to Gaza to meet with militant leaders for a day.
On Friday, according to Abu Libdeh, Abbas would "inform them that there is only one Palestinian Authority and one leadership, and (he) will not accept any measures that can subject our national project to dangers."
Abu Libdeh emphasized, "The Palestinian Authority will not tolerate any actions that will sabotage the agreement reached with Israelis on a mutual cease-fire."
Israel, which has linked further progress in peace talks to Abbas' ability to control militants, called for an immediate end to the violence.
Sharon's office called Egyptian, American and Palestinian officials on Thursday to express concern, and Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz warned, "If the Palestinians don't know how to deal with it, we shall do it."
Despite the renewed tension, Palestinian and Israeli officers met after nightfall Thursday at a Gaza crossing point to discuss cooperation.
At a Tuesday summit in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheik, in the presence of the president of Egypt and king of Jordan, Sharon and Abbas declared an end to all violence and military operations after four years of bloodshed.
Abbas has said all the Palestinian groups, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, have signed on to the truce, but leaders of the two, responsible for dozens of suicide bombings that have killed hundreds of Israelis, deny that.
Up to now, Abbas has insisted he will not confront the militant groups and disarm them, as Israel and the internationally backed "road map" peace plan demand, preferring negotiations. However, he hinted that his patience has limits.
In a statement accusing Hamas of violating the truce, the central committee of Abbas' Fatah movement declared, "We are still committed to language of dialogue, but at the same time, we warn against continuation of these irresponsible actions."
Abu Libdeh said Abbas took "punitive measures against officers who did not undertake their responsibilities, which led to the latest developments in Gaza." According to a statement from the Palestinian news agency, nine officers were dismissed.
Abbas is committed to reforming the competing and overlapping security services. Last month he ordered retirement for more than 1,000 veteran officers. However, officials said Thursday's dismissals were the direct result of the Hamas mortar and rocket salvos and the attack on the jail.
In another development, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon signaled in a newspaper interview Thursday that he is ready to release large numbers of Palestinian prisoners involved in deadly violence if militants stay on the sidelines during Israel's planned withdrawal from Gaza this summer.
Sharon said Abbas stressed during their meeting in Egypt that the release of long-serving prisoners is a top priority.
"He (Abbas) told me simply that it is a major problem," Sharon told the Haaretz daily. In the past, Israel refused to release those involved in deadly attacks.
A senior Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Sharon would consider the release of prisoners "with blood on their hands" on a case by case basis.
Also Thursday, a local leader in a Gaza settlement said that 150 of the community's 310 families have signed a declaration saying they are ready to move to Israel.
Nahum Haddad, a member of the Nissanit town council, said residents are prepared to leave after parliament officially approves the evacuation -- expected later this month.
"We are against the evacuation, but if it goes through then we want leave in an orderly way and stay together," Haddad said.
Settler leaders have voiced strong opposition to the withdrawal plan, which would uproot 9,000 Israelis from the Gaza Strip and four small West Bank settlements.
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