Abbas sacks commanders after threat to truce

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas sacked his top Gaza security commanders today after militants fired dozens of mortar shells and home-made rockets at Jewish settlements, in violation of a new cease-fire with Israel.

The Israeli army said there were no injuries but the flare-up in violence, which has included the fatal shootings of two Palestinians, has presented the first serious test to the truce declared by the Israeli and Palestinian leaders this week.

Israel, which has linked further progress in peace talks to Abbas’ ability to control militants, immediately scrapped a meeting that was due to be held with Palestinian negotiators today.

Palestinian Cabinet Secretary Hassan Abu Libdeh said Abbas took “punitive measures against officers who did not undertake their responsibilities, which led to the latest developments in Gaza”, dismissing several commanders and accepting the resignations of others.

An official said Abbas dismissed Brigadier General Abdel Razek Majaidie, chief of public security, police chief Saeb al-Ajed and three other senior commanders. Also, several lower-ranking officers lost their jobs.

Abbas is to go to Gaza tomorrow to make it clear to the militants that he will not tolerate violations of the ceasefire, Abu Libdeh said.

In a potentially significant concession, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon signalled that he is ready to release large numbers of Palestinian prisoners involved in deadly attacks if militants halt attacks during Israel’s planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip this summer.

Sharon said Abbas stressed during their meeting in Egypt that the release of long-serving prisoners is a top priority.

“He (Abbas) told me simply that it is a major problem,” Sharon said. In the past, Israel refused to release those involved in deadly attacks.

A senior Israeli official said that Sharon would consider the release of prisoners “with blood on their hands” on a case by case basis.

Terror group Hamas claimed responsibility for the mortar attacks, saying it was avenging the deaths of two Palestinians on Wednesday.

One, a Hamas activist, was killed while handling explosives. The second, apparently a civilian, was killed by Israeli troops as he approached a Jewish settlement in southern Gaza.

In the West Bank, meanwhile, Israeli troops killed a Palestinian motorist who sped through a roadblock near a Jewish settlement. The army said the man was driving a stolen vehicle.

Both Israeli and Palestinian officials accused the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah of being behind the Gaza barrage in an effort to disrupt the truce.

“We know that orders have been issued from Lebanon for some parties to continue and not accept what happened” in Egypt, a senior Palestinian official said.