Haniyeh Assasination Attempt

It appears that the civil war in the Palestinian territories and especially Gaza is on.

GAZA (Reuters) - The ruling Hamas faction accused forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah of trying to kill Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and vowed to punish those responsible, raising fears of civil war.

It looks like there is no need to fear civil war. It is now in progress.

Hamas spokesman Ismail Rudwan singled out by name a top Fatah official and lawmaker -- Mohammed Dahlan -- as being behind the shooting attack on Thursday on Haniyeh's convoy outside the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.

One of Haniyeh's bodyguards was killed. Another bodyguard, the prime minister's son and a political adviser were wounded.

The Jerusalem Post reports:

Senior Hamas officials vowed Friday morning that the Hamas-led PA government and the movement's armed faction would avenge the previous night's assassination attempt on Palestinian Authority Prime Minster Ismail Haniyeh, that left a 24-year-old bodyguard dead and others wounded, including Haniyeh's own son, Abdel Salam, and his political adviser, Ahmed Yousef, when their convoy was raked with gunfire.

Abdel Salam was hit in the jaw and Yousef in the finger.

Hamas official Jamal Nasser said, "We know who shot at the prime minister's convoy and killed his bodyguard. Sooner or later we will settle our scores with them."

Score settling indicates a break down of national authority. A return to tribalism. I guess the national unity thing is now off the table.

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said the shooting was an attempt to assassinate Haniyeh, and held the Fatah-allied Presidential Guard responsible.

"The Presidential Guard controls the Palestinian side (of the border terminal). There are no other gunmen there. They are responsible for security of the border," Barhoum said. "We say there was a clear assassination attempt."

Wael Dahab, a spokesman for the Presidential Guard, said many gunmen were in the area and that it was difficult to control the situation. "Our men did not start the shooting, they did not shoot, and there were many people carrying guns," he said.

PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas expressed deep regret for the incident and said that he was "closely following developments."

Yep. Deep regret. That it didn't succeed. And "following developments" means he is going to sit back and watch the action with as much distance (political and physical) as he can muster.

Meanwhile, Israel is not happy with American performance on the Egypt/Gaza border.

Meanwhile Thursday - ahead of the deployment of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's Presidential Guard at the Karni Crossing - defense officials blasted Lt.-Gen. Keith Dayton, the US security coordinator to Israel and the Palestinian Authority, for "not doing enough" to prevent Palestinian terrorism.

According to these officials, Dayton, who has been stationed in Israel for almost a year, has so far failed to "provide the goods" in helping to create a strong military force under Abbas's authority and capable of confronting the Hamas military wing.

Dayton, who oversees the US training of Abbas's forces, has explained that the PA leader's private army is supposed to be a counterweight to Hamas and to ensure the perpetuation of moderate forces in the Palestinian territories.

"The Presidential Guard is not doing anything in the Gaza Strip," said one senior defense official. "I hope Dayton can come up with a solution and increase the number of soldiers while getting the Palestinians to improve the level of security in Gaza."

While it wasn't Dayton's responsibility to enforce order in the Gaza Strip, the official said: "If Dayton is providing the Palestinians with weapons and equipment, then he should ensure that they use it against terrorists."

From the looks of things I'd guess they are using the weapons against the terrorists. Each other.

Here is a description of how the assasination attempt came about:

The intense fighting began when Hamas gunmen, angry that Haniyeh had been prevented from returning to Gaza, burst into the Rafah terminal, sparking a gun battle with guards. The Hamas members waiting outside the terminal grew impatient for Haniyeh's return and broke into the compound, shooting in the air. The PA's Force 17, the presidential guard which is responsible for security at the terminal and loyal to Abbas, returned fire.

Clashes also erupted between Hamas gunmen and Egyptian security personnel.

The Hamas gunmen used explosive charges to blow a hole through the concrete barrier separating the Gaza Strip from Egypt.

Travelers in the terminal lobby ran for cover, some carrying their luggage. Women and children hid behind walls and nearby taxis outside. The attackers also destroyed surveillance cameras and computers, eyewitnesses said.

Egyptian Intelligence chief Gen. Omar Suleiman ultimately brokered an agreement with Israel to allow the Hamas prime minister to return, but without the millions of dollars he and his aides reportedly had in their suitcases.

The clashes marked another escalation of tensions between Hamas and Fatah, whose representatives stepped up their war of words and warned of an imminent civil war.

I think "imminent" needs to be replaced with "ongoing".

It is not just Gaza

Three Hamas activists were shot and seriously wounded Thursday when Fatah gunmen opened fire at a Hamas rally in the Balata refugee camp near Nablus. In the evening, a fierce gun battle erupted in the Jabalya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip between members of the Fatah-controlled General Intelligence Force and scores of Hamas militiamen.

And more civil war:

In Ramallah, unidentified gunmen fired at the car of Prisoners Affairs Minister Wasfi Kabaha. There were no casualties.

The growing tensions between Hamas and Fatah come as Abbas prepares to deliver a speech to the Palestinian public on Saturday about the failure of the unity government talks.

Although PA officials said they expected Abbas to dissolve the Hamas-led government and call early elections, sources close to the PA chairman noted that he still believed a deal could be reached with Hamas.

Palestinian national unity at this time is a delusional concept.

Carl in Jerusalem has more.

So does Gateway Pundit with pictures.

Ynet has this report:

Twenty Palestinians were wounded, two critically, in exchanges of fire between warring factions in the Palestinian Authority Friday.

Sixteen people were wounded in Ramallah, four in Gaza. Fatah officials reported that several Hamas gunmen have barricaded themselves in the Nazer mosque in the city of Ramallah and are firing at Fatah and Palestinian security forces inside the mosque compound.

Witnesses added that PA security forces have begun covering their faces with masks as they try to overpower protestors and gunmen from both factions, mostly against Hamas.

The atmosphere in the city is reminiscent of a battlefield say residents, against the soundtrack of massive gunfire.

The center of Ramallah has been declared a closed security zone.

According to a Fatah source it would appear that Hamas is seeking to emphasize that the movement also has power and presence in Ramallah – the largest West Bank city and home to President Mahmoud Abbas.

The Fatah official expressed concern that further deterioration of the situation will cost many lives.

Witnesses told Ynet that some of the wounded are bystanders and protestors who were beaten by Palestinian security forces seeking to clear the streets, primarily from the center of town which was declared a closed military zone.

Carl in Jerusalem reports that the rats are leaving the sinking ship. And where are they going? To Europe and Canada. He reports that 12% of the businesses in Gaza have already left the area.

Reuters has further reports on the clashes.

GAZA (Reuters) - Security forces loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah fired on a Hamas rally in the West Bank on Friday and firefights erupted between the rivals in Gaza, pushing the Palestinians closer to civil war.

"What a war Mahmoud Abbas you are launching, first against God, and then against Hamas," senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya told a Gaza City rally of 100,000 Hamas supporters, who fired their guns in the air and chanted "God is Greatest."

At least 32 Hamas supporters in the West Bank city of Ramallah were wounded by gunfire from Abbas's forces, hospital officials said. Several were in critical condition.

Tensions were at their highest in a decade and followed months of failed talks to form a unity government between the ruling Hamas Islamist faction and Abbas's once-dominant Fatah.

Hayya said Hamas would not agree to holding an early election or a referendum on the issue, a move that Abbas could announce in a speech planned for Saturday.

There is a picture with the article of two men from the Palestinian "security" forces beating a Hamas supporter with clubs.