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RAMALLAH, March 31: Militants linked to the ruling Palestinian faction Fatah fired at President Mahmoud Abbas?s compound on Wednesday, causing no casualties. The six assailants, who also rampaged in restaurants in the West Bank city of Ramallah, identified themselves as breakaway Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades members who have rejected a request by the Palestinian Authority to lay down their arms.
?We wanted our voice to be heard,? one of the group said. ?We want our rights and we want protection.?
A militant representing the Al Aqsa leadership said 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.
Mr 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, Mr Abbas pledged reform while Ariel Sharon granted temporary immunity to militants who disarm.
Mr Abbas left his headquarters shortly after the shooting but came back for consultations with security chiefs, Palestinian officials said. On his return, 70 Al Aqsa militants also arrived, demanding to speak to the president face-to-face.
Mr Abbas took a tough tack, saying through a spokesman that police would prevent ?recurrence of such crimes?. He offered to compensate townspeople whose property was ransacked. Security sources said the Palestinian Authority would insist that the militants disarmed.
Though it spearheaded the decades-old Palestinian quest for independence, Fatah has been riven by infighting over corruption allegations and challenged by Hamas. Mr 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 militants broke up a meeting of Fatah reformists. ?Reuters
?We wanted our voice to be heard,? one of the group said. ?We want our rights and we want protection.?
A militant representing the Al Aqsa leadership said 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.
Mr 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, Mr Abbas pledged reform while Ariel Sharon granted temporary immunity to militants who disarm.
Mr Abbas left his headquarters shortly after the shooting but came back for consultations with security chiefs, Palestinian officials said. On his return, 70 Al Aqsa militants also arrived, demanding to speak to the president face-to-face.
Mr Abbas took a tough tack, saying through a spokesman that police would prevent ?recurrence of such crimes?. He offered to compensate townspeople whose property was ransacked. Security sources said the Palestinian Authority would insist that the militants disarmed.
Though it spearheaded the decades-old Palestinian quest for independence, Fatah has been riven by infighting over corruption allegations and challenged by Hamas. Mr 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 militants broke up a meeting of Fatah reformists. ?Reuters
