Palestinian Authority: the first gun battle since the death of Yasser Arafat

Sunday evening and opened fire to protest against the presence of the PLO's &to= english.pravda.ru/diplomatic/2001/09/07/14459.html ' target=_blank>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, informs Jerusalem Post. According to Reuters, Yasser Arafat's interim successor escaped injury in a Gaza gunfight triggered by hostile militants on Sunday as Palestinian officials set Jan. 9 for elections to replace the late president and avert a feared power vacuum. The clash at a mourning tent set up for &to= english.pravda.ru/world/20/91/366/14571_.html ' target=_blank>Arafat was the latest sign of factional anarchy challenging would-be moderate heirs to Arafat who are favored by Washington as potential peacemakers with Israel but lack a popular power base. The incident began after gunmen from Arafat's splintered Fatah movement shouting "No to Abu Mazen" -- Abbas's nickname -- marched by him as he stood outside the tent, paused and began firing shots into the air. The gunmen's rifles were pointed upwards, not at Abbas and Palestinian officials said it was not an assassination attempt. Members of Arafat's presidential guard hustled Abbas, 69, into the tent and threw him to the ground for his safety as the militants burst in. Chaos ensued as gunmen and bodyguards began shooting at each other. In the end, two bodyguards lay dead and four other Palestinians were wounded, medics said. Mr Abbas had travelled to Gaza City after a series of political meetings in the West Bank designed to ensure a smooth transition of power. There have been widespread fears that Mr Arafat’s death could trigger an outbreak of lawlessness, especially in Gaza which has been the scene of several deadly clashes between security services and armed factions in recent months. Gaza is the stronghold of the Islamist movement &to= english.pravda.ru/usa/2002/05/04/28204.html ' target=_blank>Hamas which fiercely resisted efforts by Mr Abbas last year to implement a &to= english.pravda.ru/region/2002/02/19/26505.html ' target=_blank>disarmament programme. Some reports said that the gunmen, all clad in green uniforms, were members of the late Mr Arafat’s faction-ridden Fatah movement, which earlier in the day had reportedly declared in Ramallah in the West Bank that it would support Mr Abbas’s candidacy for &to= english.pravda.ru/politics/2000/10/17/288.html ' target=_blank>presidential elections to be held on January 9. Accompanying Mr Abbas was &to= english.pravda.ru/world/20/91/366/9853_arafat.html ' target=_blank>Mohamad Dahlan, the Gaza strongman regarded by many as a future Palestinian leader and a key ally of the PLO leader, reports Times Online.

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