Abbas calls for calm during Israeli pullout

Mahmoud Abbas today urged Palestinians to maintain calm during Israel’s upcoming withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and promised to hold long-overdue legislative elections in January.

The Palestinian leader, speaking to Palestinian lawmakers, said ensuring a smooth Israeli withdrawal is in the Palestinian interest and will boost their image in the world’s eyes.

“There is a requirement to ensure the withdrawal take place in civilised manner,” Abbas said. “We will be able to show the world we deserve independence and freedom.”

Gaza has suffered from growing lawlessness in the run-up to the pullout, which is scheduled to begin next week. Israel plans to dismantle all 21 settlements in Gaza, as well as four small enclaves in the West Bank. It has promised a large-scale ground offensive if soldiers or settlers are attacked during the withdrawal.

Abbas warned against looting after the withdrawal, saying the land on which the settlements were built belongs to all Palestinians. He also cautioned against excessive celebrations, since the pullout falls far short of the Palestinian goal of full independence in Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

“The Israelis are still occupying our land. The road is still long ahead,” he said.

Abbas used especially tough language against militants, who have continued to fire rockets and carry out other attacks despite a six-month-old cease-fire with Israel.

Abbas said the rocket attacks have only brought misery to the Palestinians - either by inadvertently hitting Palestinians or by prompting tough Israeli reprisals – and said he expects militants to give up their weapons after the Israeli withdrawal.

“The presence of the gunmen in the streets must end. The Palestinian Authority must be the only authority,” he said. “I don’t think any country accepts more than one authority, more than one gun.”

Even as Abbas spoke, hundreds of gunmen affiliated with his Fatah movement demonstrated outside the building. The militants demanded the dismissal of the Palestinian finance minister, who has tightened control over spending, and assurances of jobs and safety after the withdrawal.

The protest ended without incident, but reflected the continuing lawlessness in the area. Yesterday, Palestinian gunmen kidnapped two international aid workers and their Palestinian driver. The hostages were freed after a shootout with Palestinian security forces.

Abbas, who was elected president in January, has been trying to persuade militants to give up their weapons and join the political process. So far, the groups have ignored his calls to disarm.

Abbas’s decision to delay legislative elections, originally scheduled for July 17, has added to the militants’ distrust. Abbas said the delay was for technical reasons, but it is widely believed that he postponed the vote to shore up support for the corruption-plagued Fatah, which has lost ground to Hamas militants in recent months.

In his speech today, Abbas promised to hold the elections in January, though he didn’t give a specific date. “We will choose a day hopefully,” he said, urging lawmakers to quickly complete work on a new election law.

Said Siyam, a Hamas leader in Gaza, said the group is still upset about the delay, but plans to participate in the election.

Abbas also said he still supports the idea of appointing a vice president, an idea he originally proposed after undergoing a surprise coronary procedure in June. Abbas did not name a deputy.

In other developments, Israel’s military chief said the army is searching for nine deserters, some of them armed, in the wake of last week’s rampage by a disgruntled soldier who opened fire on a crowded bus and killed four Israeli Arabs.

The gunman in Thursday’s attack had fled the army to protest Israel’s upcoming Gaza withdrawal. Authorities fear extremist Jews could carry out similar attacks in a bid to thwart the withdrawal.

“There are deserters with guns and this concerns us,” Lt Gen Dan Halutz told Army Radio. He said, however, the nine missing soldiers had left the army for various reasons, and suggested there was no imminent threat. “I don’t want to blow this out of proportion.”