Abbas forces and Hamas loyalists clash in Gaza

GAZA, Dec 17: Forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas overran two government ministries today, sealed off the area around his home and battled gunmen from the ruling Hamas group as chaos threatened Gaza.

A 19-year-old woman was shot during one gunfight between Hamas and Fatah forces near Abbas's compound and later died of her wounds, hospital officials said. Five other people were wounded, including a French journalist.

The spiralling unrest followed Abbas's call yesterday for presidential and parliamentary elections, a dramatic move that sought to end nine months of political impasse under Hamas's Islamist-led government.

Abbas's 4,000-strong presidential guard, backed by members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a militant group loyal to Abbas's Fatah movement, took over the Hamas-run Agriculture and Transport ministries, moving to secure a large swathe of central Gaza City around where Abbas has a home.

Angered by the move, forces loyal to Hamas exchanged fire with presidential guards positioned on rooftops.

Earlier, a convoy carrying Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud al-Zahar, a senior Hamas official, came under attack, prompting a gunfight between his guards and the attackers. Zahar was unharmed.

His aides blamed the attack on Abbas's forces.

In his first public comments since Abbas called for early elections, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, a senior Hamas leader, said new polls could cause greater unrest and urged calm.

''The Palestinian government calls on all people to show restraint and to alleviate tensions,'' Haniyeh said. ''The battle of the Palestinian people is not an internal battle. It's a battle against the (Israeli) occupation.''

The security clampdown by Abbas's special guard followed a dawn raid by masked gunmen on a training camp they use in which one guard was killed and at least five were wounded. The gunmen wore uniforms similar to those used by Hamas fighters, a senior member of the presidential guard said, but Hamas denied involvement.

ELECTION GAMBLE

Hamas says the president has no authority to call early elections and has accused Abbas of launching a coup.

After nine months of factional violence that has raised fears of civil war, Abbas said polls should be held as soon as possible. But he also said efforts to form a unity government should continue, despite repeated failure.

Today, he met members of the Palestinian electoral commission to work on planning for a new vote, which officials said was not expected to take place until mid-2007.

Hamas legislators said they would try to call a parliamentary vote declaring the move illegal.

Hamas, which is sworn to Israel's destruction, took office in March after beating the long-dominant Fatah in parliamentary elections, prompting the United States and the European Union to cut direct financial aid to the Palestinian government.

Hamas has insisted it will never recognise the Jewish state, making it unclear how any unity government could get off the ground and satisfy the West, which has demanded that Hamas recognise Israel, renounce violence and sign up to peace deals.

The Palestinian basic law, which acts as a constitution, has no provision for early elections. Fatah says Abbas can call them through a presidential decree, but Hamas contests that.

In many respects, Abbas's move is a gamble as there is no guarantee Fatah would win any elections that are held.

However, a poll released today showed Fatah gaining popularity at the expense of Hamas as the crisis has deepened.

It said that if elections were held today, Fatah would win 42 per cent to 36 percent for Hamas.

The poll also showed that 61 per cent of Palestinians favoured holding early elections, with 37 per cent opposed.

Reuters