RAMALLAH — Fatah insurgents have been split between those
fighting the Palestinian Authority and those serving its security forces.
The result has been that some Fatah insurgents have been recruited into
PA security forces to attack their own colleagues in the West Bank. Such
operations have already taken place in Hebron, Nablus and Tulkarm.
In Nablus, members of the Fatah-sponsored Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades have
been battling PA police. A PA officer was critically injured in an ambush by
Al Aqsa in Nablus on Nov. 17.
Fatah fighters were recruited to participate in a PA operation to crack
down on criminal gangs in Nablus, Palestinian sources said. Most organized
crime in the city has been led by Fatah operatives.
In one incident, Al Aqsa fighters opened fire toward a PA police post.
Other clashes over the weekend took place between Al Aqsa and PA forces in
Nablus.
The PA police operation began with the removal of illegal business
activity in Nablus. The officers also sought to arrest Fatah fighters who
paraded their weapons in the streets.
Police also seized cars stolen in Israel and brought to the West Bank.
The sources said Nablus was believed to contain thousands of vehicles stolen
from Israel.
Fatah elements were said to comprise the leading car thieves in the West
Bank. The sources said PA police in Nablus destroyed 24 vehicles out of
concern that they would be restolen by Fatah gangs.
The PA has absorbed most of the 700 members of Al Aqsa. But the sources
said about 100 insurgents remained outside the PA and have continued attacks
against Israel.
Over the last year, Fatah has been split into several factions,
including one controlled by Hizbullah and Iran. In Gaza City, Fatah
announced over the weekend a new group composed of seven armed factions.
The European Union and the United States have urged the PA to reduce its
security forces by at least a third. The PA has about 60,000 officers on the
official payroll and at least 10,000 more in unofficial capacities.
