After HQ attack, Abbas orders crackdown on "militants"

3/31/2005 7:30:00 AM GMT

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas ordered a crackdown on "militants" in Ramallah early Thursday, a day after 15 gunmen fired at his compound before rampaging through the city, damaging several restaurants and forcing shops to close, security officials said.

Palestine has been plagued with internal fighting has plagued during recent months, largely due to a breakdown in authority and command caused by more than four years of fighting against the Israeli occupation that debilitated the country’s security forces and other Palestinian Authority institutions.

In a Jan. 9 vote, Abbas was elected to succeed the late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. Abbas vowed to bring law and order to Palestinian areas and reform his security forces.

After Wednesday attack, the Palestinian leader met with Palestinian security and ordered a crackdown on Ramallah "militants". He also gave orders for more troops to be deployed throughout the city and paying compensation to the owners of stores and shops that were damaged in the shooting, security officials said.

The gunmen, who said they were members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, said they went on their rampage after security officials forced six of them out of the Ramallah headquarters, where they had sought refuge after Israel started hunting fugitives.

The late Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat had allowed at least 20 fugitives to stay in Ramallah headquarters, and Abbas had followed suit.

Security forces asked the six gunmen to either surrender their weapons or leave the compound, a Palestinian security official said on condition of anonymity.

Another security official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the security forces were "considering taking harsh steps against them."

Abbas threatens to resign

In a meeting with the Fatah revolutionary council earlier this week, the Palestinian leader threatened to resign.

The meeting was held in Gaza City to discuss internal reforms in the ruling faction.

According to a Fatah official who attended the meeting, Abbas complained that some top officials were trying to hamper his efforts to reform the PA's financial and security establishment.

Refusing to name those officials, Abbas expressed his anger at the attempts and threatened to resign if they didn’t stop putting obstacles on the road to implementing major reforms, the official said.

He also quoted the Palestinian President as saying that he might cancel his scheduled visit to the U.S. next month unless Fatah agrees to support him in implementing reforms.

"He said he wouldn't be able to meet with U.S. President George Bush without having taken steps to implement administrative, financial and security reforms," the official said.

"Abu Mazen also threatened to resign if some officials continue their attempts to foil his plans."