Palestinian police storm parliament

DOZENS of disgruntled Palestinian police officers stormed the parliament building yesterday, complaining they don’t have enough firepower to confront Hamas, and MPs upset over the growing chaos demanded Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas reshuffle the cabinet and fire his security chief.

The protest and parliament’s rebuke of Abbas came a day after the worst fighting between Hamas and police in nearly a decade. Three people were killed, including the deputy police chief in the Shati refugee camp who was shot in the head after he and his men ran out of bullets during a Hamas assault on their station.

The violence underscored the difficulties Abbas and his ill-equipped security forces face in taking t control of unruly Gaza. Since Israel’s pullout from the territory last month, the Islamic militant group Hamas has become increasingly brazen in challenging Abbas.

Israel and the US demand Abbas disarm Hamas. He has settled for a ban on displaying weapons in public, and has tried to coax gunmen off the streets with promises of jobs and political participation.

The Palestinian Authority, he said, is “ready to use all means to prevent the public display of arms.”

But security officials say police are no match for the armed groups.

In Gaza, only about half of the 18,000 members of the security forces carry guns, with a limited number of bullets at their disposal, officials say. Hamas in Gaza has at least 5,000 gunmen, equipped not only with assault rifles, but anti-tank missiles and grenades.

After the Hamas attack on the Shati police station, 40 officers posted there briefly stormed the parliament building in Gaza City.

Outside the building, one officer said: “Our commander died in front of us, and we were running out of bullets. The officials are sitting inside air-conditioned offices and giving us orders without asking us how we can implement them.”

During the police protest, parliament was holding an emergency session on the growing lawlessness. The main proceedings were held in the West Bank city of Ramallah, with Gaza MPs participating by video conference because of an Israeli security closure of the strip.

In a 43-5 vote, they asked Abbas to present a new Cabinet within two weeks, and many demanded the removal of Interior Minister Nasser Yousef, who oversees the security forces.