http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16181407/
Hamas judge gunned down at Gaza courthouse Al-Fara was also a member of group's armed wing; fears of civil war rise KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip - Unidentified gunmen dragged a judge from the Hamas Islamist movement out of a taxi and shot him dead in front of his courthouse in Gaza on Wednesday, increasing fears of a Palestinian civil war. Officials from the governing Hamas faction said Bassam al-Fara, 28, was a judge in a civil court but also a member of the group's armed wing. Witnesses who declined to be identified told Reuters at the scene the gunmen had eaten breakfast in a nearby restaurant in the town of Khan Younis while waiting for Fara to arrive. They shot him at point blank range after pulling him from the car. Tensions and violence have spiraled in Gaza and the occupied West Bank between Hamas and the rival Fatah faction of President Mahmoud Abbas after attempts to form a national unity government failed. Internal Palestinian tensions have increased further this week following the killing of three young sons of one of Abbas' top intelligence officials in Gaza on Monday. No one claimed responsibility for the shooting of the judge. Hamas, which accuses Fatah of trying to topple its government, issued a statement blaming the killing on a Fatah "death squad." "The seekers of the coup in Fatah bear the responsibility for all actions of chaos taking place in the Palestinian streets," senior Hamas lawmaker Mushir al-Masri told Reuters. A Fatah spokesman, Tawfiq Abu Khoussa, criticized Hamas for blaming the once dominant faction. "The brothers in Hamas must be accurate and not throw quick accusations before an investigation has yet to start," he said. Residents described the Fara family as one of the biggest clans in Khan Younis, one of the most volatile towns in Gaza. Political unrest, clan fighting In the West Bank town of Jenin, Palestinian security forces said police shot a militant of unknown affiliation in the town who had opened fired on them. Security forces loyal to Abbas traded gunfire with Hamas policemen in Gaza on Tuesday, wounding four people. A senior official from Fatah has said the Hamas government bore responsibility for Monday's unprecedented attack on children. Hamas has angrily denied the movement was involved. Besides internal political unrest, Gaza is plagued with clan fighting and a surge in crime following a Western aid embargo on the government that has deepened poverty. The main source of the recent tensions has been the failure of Hamas and Fatah to form a unity government that Palestinians hope might end the Western boycott. Abbas aides have said he planned to call early elections on Saturday after talks on a unity government foundered. But they said he would leave the door open to dialogue with Hamas. Hamas came to power after beating Fatah in elections in January. Unity talks broke down partly over Hamas' rejection of Western demands to recognize Israel. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. +++ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
