And It Has Begun....

[MKSheppard]

Linka

Abbas denies Gaza shooting was assassination attempt
By KHALED ABU TOAMEH

Fatah gunmen stormed a mourning tent in Gaza City on Sunday evening and opened fire to protest against the presence of the PLO's Mahmoud Abbas and former security minister Muhammed Dahlan.

Two Palestinian policemen were killed in the ensuing gun battle, which lasted for more than 10 minutes. Abbas was unhurt, but his bodyguards threw him to the ground as the shooting intensified.

The two were identified as Kamal Abu Kainas, member of Force 17, or presidential guard, and Raed Darwish of the Preventative Security Force.

Palestinian security officials said they were among scores of security officers guarding Abbas and Dahlan.

It was the first incident of its kind in the Gaza Strip since the death of Palestinian Authority chairman Yasser Arafat last week.

PA officials expressed fear that the shooting attack would trigger internal fighting in the Gaza Strip and called for calm.

The attack occurred shortly after Abbas and Dahlan arrived at the tent to receive condolences for the death of Arafat.

Eyewitnesses said a group of 30 gunmen, clad in green and belonging to one of Fatah's splinter groups, raided the tent chanting slogans against the two, who were surrounded by dozens of armed bodyguards.

Fatah's armed wing Aksa Martyrs Brigades strongly denied responsibility for the shooting attack and called for an immediate investigation.

The gunmen who entered the tent shouted "Abbas, Dahlan, go away, you American agents." The gunmen, who were not masked, also chanted slogans in praise of Arafat.

"When they came close to Abbas, some of them opened fire from their automatic rifles," said a Palestinian journalist who was in the area.

"Then I saw a uniformed policeman lying in a pool of blood. He had been hit in the head. Another man was also shot and killed."

In addition to Abbas and Dahlan, a large number of senior Palestinian officials were inside the tent when the gun battle erupted. They included General Musa Arafat, overall commander of the National Security Forces in the Gaza Strip; General Amin al-Hindi, head of the General Intelligence; Saeb al-Ajez, commander of the Civil Police; and Nasser al-Kidwa, the PLO's representative to the UN, who is a nephew of Yasser Arafat.

It was not clear if the gunmen had planned to assassinate Abbas or just frighten him. Reporters for Al-Jazeera and other Arab TV stations at the scene described the incident as an assassination attempt on the life of Abbas and Dahlan.

However, the two men denied that they had been targeted, saying the shooting was the result of confusion and over-zealousness.

"This attack has no personal or private dimension," a visibly shaken Abbas told reporters in his office in Gaza City. "It's the result of heated emotions following the martyrdom of President Arafat."

Abbas said he was unaware that the attackers had been shouting slogans against him and Dahlan. "I didn't hear at all such cries, not against me or against anyone else," he added.

Dahlan also dismissed reports describing the incident as an attempt on the life of Abbas. "What happened was the result of confusion that started when Abu Mazen entered the tent together with dozens of journalists," he said, pointing out that tens of thousands of mourners had converged on the area to offer their condolences for the death of Arafat. "This led to the chaos that we witnessed there."

Dahlan lashed out at Al-Jazeera and other Arab TV stations for the way they reported on the attack and urged them to "behave in a responsible manner and avoid sensationalism."

PA Minister of Labor Ghassan Khatib said the attack was not politically motivated, but the result of security chaos and the absence of law and order. "We must focus our efforts on preserving our national unity and directing all our energies and capabilities against the Israeli occupation," he said.

The incident came hours after Fatah officials in Ramallah announced that Abbas would run for elections to succeed Arafat as chairman of the PA.

Abbas Zaki, a top Fatah official, said Abbas was chosen by the Fatah central council as its candidate in an election scheduled for January 9.

The election process will start November 20 with a 12-day nomination period, said Raouhi Fattouh, acting chairman of the PA.

Candidates will campaign for the presidency between December 27 and January 8, with polling stations open the following day, he told reporters in Ramallah.

But Abbas on Sunday night denied that he had been picked as a candidate for Fatah in the upcoming elections. "I haven't nominated myself until now," he said. "It's too early to talk about this issue. The Fatah central council will discuss it at a later phase."

[Rogue 9]

"This attack has no personal or private dimension," a visibly shaken Abbas told reporters in his office in Gaza City. "It's the result of heated emotions following the martyrdom of President Arafat."

Martyrdom? I wasn't aware that dying of old age made one a martyr.

[CJvR]

Im in shock! Who could have suspected that something like this might happen???

[MKSheppard]

I'm more amused that the battle went on for 10~ minutes in a packed tent
with only 2 fatalities

[CJvR]

I'm more amused that the battle went on for 10~ minutes in a packed tent with only 2 fatalities

I doubt the tent was packed for more than the first 10 seconds. Unfortunately the terrorists aren't that poor marksmen.

[EmperorChrostas the Cruel]

Listen hear FOOL!
Me and da "A-Team" used ta shot THOUSANDSA rounds inside small rooms with cement walls, and not get a single injury even from spalling!
Dats cuz Hannibul an us is dat good, sucka. (We's only scarin dem, and dey's shitty shots AND unlucky!)
If dem Pals was as good as us, theyed alreada thrown togetha sumtin with all dat war shit layin around to throw da jews into da see with!

[aerius]

I'm more amused that the battle went on for 10~ minutes in a packed tent
with only 2 fatalities

That's because they're religious shooters, as in "spray and pray you hit something". (I read that in a book somewhere)

[Stormbringer]

I'm suprised it took this long.

[Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi]

"This attack has no personal or private dimension," a visibly shaken Abbas told reporters in his office in Gaza City. "It's the result of heated emotions following the martyrdom of President Arafat."

Martyrdom? I wasn't aware that dying of old age made one a martyr.

There are some conspiracy theories that say that Arafat was poisoned by the Jews, and that's why he died. After all, who ever heard of a 75 year-old dying of "natural causes"?

[fgalkin]

Ha, the more the merrier.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

[Stormbringer]

"This attack has no personal or private dimension," a visibly shaken Abbas told reporters in his office in Gaza City. "It's the result of heated emotions following the martyrdom of President Arafat."

Martyrdom? I wasn't aware that dying of old age made one a martyr.

There are some conspiracy theories that say that Arafat was poisoned by the Jews, and that's why he died. After all, who ever heard of a 75 year-old dying of "natural causes"?

The Arab/Muslim world is bad enough with all their conspiracies to make Oliver Stone look rational and reasonable.