GAZA CITY — The Palestinian Authority is on the verge of "all-out" civil war.
The International Crisis Group said the Gaza Strip and
West Bank have been split into Fatah- and Hamas-controlled territories. They
said the militia war that started in the Gaza Strip has spread to the West
Bank.
PA officials concurred, Middle East Newsline reported.
"Today the situation is but one tragic step — the assassination of a
senior Fatah or Hamas leader, for example — from all-out chaos," the
group said.
In a report released on Tuesday, the Brussels-based ICG said Fatah and
Hamas were headed for a confrontation. The report said the prospect of
widespread fighting has been increased by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's vow to
hold a July 26 referendum that includes relations with Israel.
"In this increasingly bloody power struggle, both camps are mobilizing
armed militias, stockpiling weapons, resorting to killings and spreading
bedlam," the report, entitled "Palestinian, Israel and the Quartet: Pulling
Back from the Brink," said.
[On Wednesday, Fatah fighters employed by the PA stormed the Palestinian
Legislative Council in the West Bank city of Ramallah and attacked Hamas
legislators. In the Gaza Strip, Hamas fighters shot and seriously injured a
PA security commander in Khan Yunis.]
The report said Fatah and Hamas leaders, despite their pledges, were
working to promote the militia war. ICG said Fatah has refused to accept its
loss in Palestinian Legislative Council elections in January 2006.
"It treats the new government as a usurper, blatantly subverting its
ability to govern, relying on its partisans' overwhelming presence
throughout the civil service and, especially, the security forces," the
report said.
Abbas-led troops have begun attacking Hamas-aligned offices in the West
Bank. On June 12, scores of Abbas-aligned fighters torched the office of PA
Prime Minister Ismail Haniya, who also leads Hamas.
"We are slowly, slowly heading toward civil war," Mohammed Dahlan,
regarded as the Fatah leader in the Gaza Strip, told the PLC.
ICG asserted that Hamas would not bow to Western demands to recognize
Israel. The report said Hamas would resist sanctions by the European Union
and United States.
"Of all the dangers threatening the Palestinians, the most acute may
well be internal strife," the report said. "Facing one of the most hostile
external environments in its history, the national movement also confronts
one of its most acute domestic crises."
