Palestinians On Brink Of Civil War
Ryan R. Jones - All Headline News Middle East Correspondent Jerusalem, Israel (AHN) - Ongoing fighting between the ruling Hamas movement and Palestinian Authority (P.A.) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction has brought the Palestinians to the brink of civil war, warned a top P.A. official Tuesday. At least 13 people have died and more than 120 others have been wounded in armed street clashes that broke out when Hamas government forces opened fire on Fatah-aligned P.A. policemen protesting their lack of pay in Gaza on Sunday. The violence quickly spread to the West Bank. Nabil Amr, a communications adviser to Abbas, told The Washington Times, "If we don't reach a political solution, we are headed toward a civil war. It could happen at any time." There was a notable decrease in the violence on Tuesday, though Fatah ramped up its rhetoric, threatening to capture and execute top Hamas leaders. However, the assassination of a local Hamas leader near the West Bank town of Kalkilya on Wednesday morning looked to send the situation back into a downward spiral. A senior Palestinian official told WorldNetDaily that Abbas plans to ask the U.S. for an additional shipment of rifles and other weapons to arm forces loyal to him against Hamas. Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh declared on Tuesday that his group will not be pressured into moving up Palestinian elections, and denounced the escalating violence as an inter |
