Palestinian gun control

NY Times:

The Islamic militant group Hamas is poised to come to power and gunmen from the rival Fatah movement are strutting in the streets, yet it is not clear who will have effective control over the most heavily armed Palestinian group: the security forces.

Hamas, following its victory over the governing Fatah in the Palestinian legislative elections on Wednesday, says that major changes are needed in the security forces. Many of the forces' commanders and rank-and-file members are from Fatah, and many of them have expressed reluctance, or even outright opposition, to a change in their membership.

The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, has formal authority over the forces, yet they have often seemed beyond his control, even when the government was from his own Fatah Party.

...

In Damascus on Saturday, the top Hamas leader, Khaled Meshal, said Hamas would work to build a Palestinian Army, which would presumably feature Hamas members in prominent positions.

Security forces have been involved in the unrest following the Hamas election victory. On Saturday, a band of officers entered the parliament compound in Gaza City to demand the prosecution of Hamas members suspected of killing a policeman. No serious disturbances were reported in the West Bank or the Gaza Strip on Sunday.

In Jerusalem on Sunday, the acting Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, told his cabinet that the country "will not hold any contacts" with the Palestinians unless Hamas explicitly renounced terrorism, recognized Israel, accepted all prior peace agreements and annulled parts of its covenant that called for Israel's destruction.

"These principles are accepted by most of the international community and on this matter I do not intend to make any compromises," Mr. Olmert said.

...


The Washington Times reports that Abbas has attempted to take control of the security forces:

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has ordered all main branches of the security forces to report to him personally, in a bid to forestall their takeover by Hamas, the Islamic militant movement.
The decision also was aimed at assuaging rising anger from security forces members themselves, backed by one of their leaders, Civil Affairs Minister Mohamed Dahlan who controls the preventive security forces in the Gaza Strip.
It remained far from clear whether Hamas will accept the bid to sustain the power of the long-dominant but increasingly fractious Fatah movement.

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