Blast rocks Abbas' police HQ in Gaza
Rocket-propelled grenades were fired today at Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ security headquarters in the Gaza Strip, wounding at least two people.
It was not immediately clear who fired the grenades at the compound’s yard, but a firefight erupted immediately after between members of the security force and the attackers.
The Palestinian Preventive Security Force has been at the centre of a power struggle between Abbas and his main rival, Hamas.
Earlier today, President Abbas said he would call a referendum on a programme that implicitly recognises Israel after talks with the militant Islamic Hamas broke down just before a midnight deadline.
A statement from Abbas’ office said: “President Abbas will set a date for the referendum after the meeting Tuesday of the PLO Executive Committee and parliamentary caucuses.”
Hamas, at the head of the Palestinian government, hotly opposes a referendum, calling it illegal.
Yesterday, Abbas ruled out any changes in the 18-point document negotiated by Palestinian prisoners in an Israeli lockup. It accepts a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, implying recognition of Israel next to it.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri insisted that the talks must continue, saying parts of the document are positive, but Hamas has problems with other parts.
“You cannot raise the sword of ultimatum, you cannot raise the issue of a referendum while you are talking about dialogue,” he told reporters in Gaza. He said calling a referendum meant circumventing the elected government.
Hamas lawmaker Khalil al-Hiyah said that despite Abbas’ statement, there was still time to resume the talks instead of calling a referendum.
A vote could deeply embarrass Hamas. Polls show the prisoners’ document would win broad approval. Hamas won January elections in a landslide against Abbas’ Fatah, but government inefficiency and corruption were the main issues, not policy toward Israel.
Hamas opposes the existence of a Jewish state in an Islamic Middle East and has rebuffed Western demands to recognise Israel, accept previous peace accords and renounce violence.
The West cut off aid to the Hamas-led government, leading to a financial crisis.
Abbas has endorsed the prisoners’ plan as a way to end the crushing Western sanctions and allow him to resume peace talks with Israel.
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said yesterday that the document is an internal Palestinian issue, and Israel is not commenting on it, according to a statement from her office. Israel favours talks with moderate Palestinians but rejects key elements of the plan.
The plan was formulated by politically powerful Hamas and Fatah prisoners. But the Islamic group’s exiled leaders, who make final decisions on policy, have refused to accept the document.
Many Palestinians are uneasy about the referendum, though polls show the document would be approved easily. In Gaza, Mohammed Abu Seido (aged 30) a coffee shop cashier, said he would vote for the document, but he worried that Hamas would react with violence if it is approved.
“Hamas is already failing,” he said.
The Palestinians have never held a referendum before, and officials said the vote would not be binding. Passing the referendum could give Abbas an important boost in his stand-off with Hamas, however.
