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Topic: (Unknown) Palestinian group kidnaps 3 Hamas officials
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RaptureRH
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Palestinians Arrest 30 in West Bank
By NASSER SHIYOUKHI, Associated Press Writer
Fri Oct 7,11:47 AM ET
Palestinian police arrested 30 suspected car thieves and drug dealers Friday in a high-profile crackdown on crime in this West Bank town, while gunmen abducted three local Hamas leaders in a series of kidnappings elsewhere in the chaos-ridden Palestinian territories.
More than 200 policemen took part in the raid on Yatta in the southern West Bank, known for its car thieves and chop shops, and residents said they could not remember such a heavy crackdown.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas is under increased pressure to fight growing lawlessness, seen as a major threat to his rule.
The Islamic militant group Hamas, meanwhile, held Palestinian security forces responsible for the abductions of three local leaders in the West Bank towns of Tulkarem, Bethlehem and Hebron. One of them was released early Friday.
Hamas did not provide a possible motive for the kidnappings. However, late Thursday, gunmen abducted a Palestinian intelligence officer from his car in Gaza City, shot him in the leg and later released him. There was some speculation the Hamas leaders were seized in retaliation for the Gaza City abduction.
Palestinian security forces have been severely weakened by nearly five years of fighting with Israel, corruption and internal rivalries, leaving them virtually powerless to stop militants and armed gangs.
But since Israel's withdrawal last month from the Gaza Strip, where lawlessness is most severe, Palestinians have increasingly demanded a restoration of order.
Threatened by the instability, Abbas has ordered his forces to rein in criminals and enforce a ban on public displays of weapons, leading to fierce gunbattles with Hamas militants. In the worst fighting, three Palestinians, including a policeman, were killed in one battle this week.
In Yatta, policemen surrounded homes before dawn and urged suspects to surrender. Homes were searched and illegal weapons confiscated.
"This campaign was ordered by political leaders to enforce law and order and to bring justice to normal Palestinians and make the Palestinian people feel safe," said the area police chief, Ahmed Rabai. He added that the campaign will continue in other villages as well as the city of Hebron.
Israel and the United States have demanded that Abbas curb the militants. Abbas has been reluctant to take such a step, fearing civil war, and has tried to co-opt the groups, but the growing chaos may be forcing him to act.
Late Thursday, the three Hamas leaders were taken from their homes at gunpoint. One of them, Riad Abdel Karim al-Raz, was freed early Friday. The other two men, Bassem Abeido of Hebron and Hassan Safi of Bethlehem, remained in custody.
An unknown group, the al-Farouk bin al-Khatab Brigades, claimed responsibility, saying it "is a response to Hamas' violations and disregard for law and order and their attacks on security institutions and Palestinian leaders."
Hamas is in a power struggle with the ruling Fatah movement ahead of January parliamentary elections, and since Israel's pullout from Gaza, Hamas has become increasingly brazen in challenging Abbas.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri accused Abbas' security forces of carrying out the kidnappings, saying they are responsible for protecting "all Palestinian people, including Hamas."
But Fatah officials and militants with the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a violent group linked to Fatah, denied involvement in the abductions.
Karim, the Hamas leader in Tulkarem, said after his release Friday he did not know who kidnapped him or what they wanted.
"People came and took me by force. They didn't treat me well, and then they apologized," said Karim who heads the engineering department at A-Najah University in Nablus. He suffered a black eye and had his shirt was torn by his captors.
The lawlessness is also of concern to Israel, army chief Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz said in an interview published Friday in the Jerusalem Post.
"Anarchy puts the Palestinian Authority in grave danger," Halutz told the English-language daily. "The anarchy today is a consequence of the Palestinian Authority's unpreparedness to tackle the problem when it was small. They are still doing too little, but I hope it isn't too late."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051007/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians&printer=1;_ylt=Aq0MuCNsWVUeuZe.KUsWyAQUewgF;_ylu=X3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-
Posts: 163 | From: Houston TX | Registered: Sep 2005
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RaptureRH
Advanced Member
Member # 5120
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posted
Oct. 7, 2005 12:47
(Unknown) Palestinian group kidnaps 3 Hamas officials
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
A previously unknown group on Friday said it had kidnapped three Hamas officials in the West Bank, accusing the Islamic terror group of putting itself above the law.
Palestinian security officials confirmed the kidnappings of Bassem Abeido, in Hebron, Hassan Safi in Bethlehem and Riad Abdel Karim al-Raz in Tulkarem. The three men, all local leaders of the Islamic militant group, were abducted by gunmen late Thursday, though Karim was released early Friday.
A group calling itself the Omar bin al-Khatab Brigades claimed responsibility for the abductions. "Hamas doesn't care about the Palestinian law," the group said in a leaflet.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1128651458000
Posts: 163 | From: Houston TX | Registered: Sep 2005
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