Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday issued an
immediate ban on all armed militia operating in the Palestinian
territories, including those affiliated to his own Fatah
movement.
"The armed militia and the irregular military or paramilitary
formations are forbidden from carrying out any underground or
public activities, and anyone assisting them will be subject to
legal inquiry," Abbas said in a new presidential decree.
This follows last week's official banning of the Islamic
Resistance Movement (Hamas), Fatah's adversary, which took over
Abbas' security headquarters in the Gaza Strip 12 days ago.
Abbas called on his emergency government "to end the phenomena
of armed groups" and to "ban and confiscate all weapons,
ammunition, explosives and other unlicensed fighting material as
well as any material that cause danger to public order."
Abbas published this move upon his return to Ramallah from a
summit in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, which saw Abbas
meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Egyptian President
Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah II.
The decree, signed by Abbas as chief commander of the
Palestinian forces, is seen as mainly being a move to take out of
commission Fatah's al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, and the al-Quds
brigades which act as the military wing of the radical Islamic
Jihad (Holy War).
These two main militia are continuing anti-Israeli operations in
the West Bank.
Members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades have already stated they
will not put down their weapons until Israel pledges to stop
pursuing them and safety guarantees are received.
Israel so far has refused to comment on whether it would stop
trying to capture or kill Palestinian militants on its wanted list,
but did say the matter would be broached by through a joint
Palestinian-Israeli committee.
(Xinhua News Agency June 27, 2007)
