Abbas overturns Hamas decision: Creation of special force
GAZA CITY, April 21: Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas was locked in a battle of wills with the Hamas government on Friday, revoking its decision to create a new security force of armed militants.
The head-on collision sent tensions soaring between the moderate Palestinian leader and the radical Islamists, marking the first time Mr Abbas has revoked decisions by the Hamas government since it was sworn in last month.
Mr Abbas has ultimate responsibility for security, which has become a key battleground between Hamas and Mr Abbas and added to the pressure of a serious fiscal crisis in the government, compounded by international aid cuts.
“President Abbas considers the decisions of interior minister Said Siam illegal and anti-constitutional, and he has sent a letter to this effect to prime minister Ismail Haniya,” Tayeb Abdelrahim told reporters.
On Thursday, Mr Siam announced he was creating a new security force of volunteer fighters from armed factions to supplement the work of Palestinian police and security forces faced with rampant chaos in the territories.
At the same time he nominated top Gaza-based militant Jamal Abu Samhadana to a senior position in the interior ministry to oversee various security elements, including the new force.
The Palestinian Authority was left fuming after being given no prior notice of the unilateral proclamations.
Abu Samhadana’s appointment was also criticised by Washington, which like the European Union froze direct aid to the Palestinian Authority after Hamas swept to power, and left Israel threatening to target the wanted militant.
A Palestinian official said Mr Abbas had already drawn up a decree to reverse the decisions, the text of which had been approved by the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) earlier in the day.
“This (Hamas) decision is a clear violation and seeks to turn the armed groups of Hamas and its allies into a legal Palestinian Authority force, which will open the door to serious internal conflicts,” the source added.
News of the decree came just after Mr Haniya publicly extended Mr Siam his blessing for creating the new force as part of endeavours to restore order to the increasingly chaotic Palestinian territories.
“I bless the announcement from brother Said Siam, the interior minister, yesterday to form a force to protect general order,” Mr Haniya said in a Friday sermon delivered in a Gaza mosque.
Officials said Mr Abbas had sent Mr Haniya a letter informing him of his decision to cancel his interior minister’s decisions which “violated his prerogatives” and demanded the prime minister overturn them.
In the letter he pointed out that the creation of a new armed force and the nomination or promotion of officers was his responsibility and his alone, the sources said.
Friday’s battle of wills was the second time in less than a month that Abbas and Hamas have been at loggerheads over security responsibilities.—AFP
