Palestinian militants fire guns near parliament

RAMALLAH, West Bank, March 2 (Reuters) Palestinian militants fired guns into the air outside the parliament building in the West Bank town of Ramallah today, witnesses said.

The motive for the shooting was not immediately clear and there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

Witnesses said about 20 gunmen from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed wing of President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction, opened fire near the outside gate of the Palestinian Legislative Council.

It was the latest of a series of incidents of armed chaos in the Palestinian territories including feuding among rival factions triggered by Hamas's upset victory in a January 23 election.

REUTERS OM RN1902