Abu Shback, who also headed PA Civil Defense and Fire Brigade, first
relayed his resignation in late May after Hamas operatives raided his home
outside Gaza City and killed seven of his bodyguards. The sources said Abu
Shback has not been home since and was intent on leaving the Gaza Strip.
[On Tuesday, Fatah and Hamas fought a gun battle near the Karni border
terminal in the eastern Gaza Strip. PA sources said a member of the
Presidential Guard and four members of the powerful Dughmoush clan, said to
be Hamas members, were injured in the shootout, which lasted nearly three
hours.]
The sources said Abbas, who first rejected Abu Shback's resignation,
agreed to relocate the PSA chief. They said Abbas would assign Abu Shback a
diplomatic post, probably in East Asia.
The PSA, with about 2,500 officers in the Gaza Strip, has been regarded
as the most powerful Fatah-aligned force. PSA conducted the brunt of
fighting during the militia war with Hamas in May.
At one point, the sources said, PSA officers donned uniforms of the
Presidential Guard and National Security Forces and launched a
counter-offensive against Hamas near Gaza City. Despite the assertions of
the United States, which finances PG and NSF, the sources said neither force
displayed combat prowess against Hamas's Executive Force.
Abu Shback's resignation has sparked a search for a successor. The
sources said Abbas and his aides were in contact with several unidentified
candidates.
One of them was believed to be Brig. Gen. Jibril Rajoub, the founder of
PSA in the West Bank and a member of the National Security Council. But
Rajoub was said to have rejected the offer.
