Fighting intensifies between rival Palestinian factions

Gunmen attacked the convoy of the Palestinian foreign minister and raided a training base for an elite unit of the security forces today, stepping up factional violence over a decision by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to end nine months of Hamas rule and call early elections.

A 19-year-old woman and a Palestinian security officer were killed in the chaos, while at least 13 people were wounded in gun battles raging across Gaza City. In one symbolic attack, Abbas’ empty residence came under fire. Militants also fired two mortar shells at Abbas’ nearby offices.

Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, in a first response to Abbas’ decision, said the Islamic militant group would boycott a new vote and accused the moderate president of inflaming an already tense situation.

“We confirm that the Palestinian government refuses the invitation to early elections because it is unconstitutional and could cause tension among Palestinians,” Haniyeh said. He called Abbas’ speech “inflammatory” and “insulting to the sacrifices and the pain of Palestinians everywhere.”

The foreign minister, Mahmoud Sahara, escaped unharmed. But Hamas accused Fatah forces of carrying out the shooting.

Earlier in the day, in an attack blamed on Hamas, dozens of gunmen raided a training camp of Abbas’ Presidential Guard near the president’s residence, killing a member of the elite force.

The attack on Sahara’s convoy unleashed a ferocious gun battle that raged in the main streets of Gaza City for more than an hour – the worst fighting between the sides since talks on forming a unity government broke down late last month. Medical officials said a 19-year-old woman was killed in the crossfire.

Sporadic fighting continued into the evening. Hamas gunmen opened fire at a demonstration attended by tens of thousands of Fatah supporters in northern Gaza, wounding at least one person, and unknown militants fired two mortars at Abbas’ office in Gaza City. Five pro-Fatah security men and a 45-year-old woman were wounded, officials said.

Despite the violence, Abbas, who was in the West Bank, signalled he is determined to push ahead with the elections. He met with members of the Central Election Commission at his headquarters to discuss a possible date. The head of the panel said it would take at least three months to prepare new presidential and parliament elections.

Independent experts are divided over whether Abbas has the authority to call new elections.

Abbas’ bold gamble, after months of indecision, could easily backfire. It could end up driving the Palestinians toward all-out civil war, strengthen Hamas and further put off peace efforts with Israel.

Abbas has suggested he is still leaving the door open to a national unity government with Hamas, though the angry exchanges between the two camps and growing factional violence made this increasingly unlikely.

Despite the dramatic rise in violence, Abbas is determined to push ahead with elections, said a top aide, Saeb Erekat, noting that he met with the Central Election Commission a day after his call for early elections.

“The message of the meeting is that he is serious, that he is saying ‘don’t doubt my words,”’ Erekat said. Erekat said he believed elections would be held around June.

Abbas has said in the past he would not seek another term as president; he was elected to a four-year term in a separate 2005 presidential vote. However, Fatah is expected to ask him to run if early presidential elections are held, said Nabil Shaath, a member of the party’s Central Committee, which met late on Saturday.

A poll released today placed Abbas and Haniyeh in a dead heat in a presidential race. Abbas would win 46%, compared with 45% for Haniyeh. In parliamentary elections, Fatah would defeat Hamas by a 42-36 margin.

The survey was conducted by the independent Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research among 1,270 Palestinians and had an error margin of three percentage age points.

Hamas’ landslide election in January parliamentary elections split the Palestinian leadership into two camps. One, led by Abbas, seeks peace with Israel; the other, led by Hamas, is sworn to the Jewish state’s destruction. The infighting has often degenerated into violence, and last week, tensions reached their highest peak in years.

Abbas has tried to end the power struggle by bringing Hamas into a more moderate coalition with his Fatah Party, but Hamas refused to pay the price he demanded – recognising Israel and renouncing violence.