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Khaled Abu Hilal

Khaled Abu Hilal

Hamas

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

20060402

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Hamas: Fatah using 'insurgency' tactics

2007-10-06

After failing to organize a popular uprising against Hamas in Gaza, Fatah has begun resorting to "insurgency" tactics in a bid to undermine the Islamist movement, Hamas officials said Thursday. The officials told The Jerusalem Post Fatah militiamen were behind a series of bombings that targeted Hamas members and institutions over the past few weeks. On Tuesday, three Fatah men were killed in a "work accident" as they were trying to place a bomb near a Hamas security installation west of Gaza City. The three, Hudaibi Khader, Yusef Hamadeh and Mu'taz al-Qami, belonged to Fatah's armed wing, the Aksa Martyrs Brigades. "They were killed when the bomb they were carrying was detonated prematurely," said a senior Hamas official. "We have evidence that Fatah is behind a series of explosions that occurred in Gaza recently." The official dismissed as "untrue" claims by Fatah that the three men were killed when Hamas militiamen fired a rocket at their vehicle. The Aksa Martyrs Brigades threatened to avenge the killing of its members. The group accused Hamas of eliminating the three "while they were on a jihad mission" - meaning an attack on Israeli targets. Early Thursday morning, three Hamas militiamen serving in the local police were wounded, one of them critically, when a bomb was detonated near their vehicle at the Askoulah junction in Gaza City. Again, Hamas accused Fatah of standing behind the attack. Hamas's security forces on Thursday arrested Maher Khwaiter, a Fatah activist from the city's Zeitun neighborhood, on suspicion of involvement in the bombing. Another Hamas official told the Post that Fatah was behind at least 14 attacks against Hamas figures and institutions in the Gaza Strip over the past month. He added that Fatah's decision to resort to an "armed struggle reflected Fatah's frustration after failing to ignite a popular uprising against Hamas." Over the past two months, Fatah has organized a series of peaceful protests against Hamas in the Gaza Strip; thousands of Fatah supporters participated in open-air prayers to protest against Hamas's June "coup." The protests, which have meanwhile been suspended, led to street clashes between the two parties, seriously embarrassing the Hamas government of Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. Most of the alleged Fatah operations have targeted security vehicles used by Hamas forces in the Gaza Strip. Following the attacks, the Hamas Ministry of Interior, which is in charge of security in the Strip, instructed all its operatives to check their vehicles before using them and to be on alert for roadside bombs. "Apparently, Fatah is trying to copy the tactics of the anti-American insurgents in Iraq," said a Palestinian journalist in Gaza City. "It's ironic that Hamas is now describing the Fatah attacks as acts of terrorism." Khaled Abu Hilal, a Fatah dissident closely associated with Hamas, said the latest wave of bombings was designed to destabilize the situation in the Gaza Strip. Accusing Fatah leaders in Ramallah of instructing their men to attack Hamas, he said: "These crimes reflect the terrorist mentality of the murderers and of those who give them the instructions from Ramallah." Denying the allegations, Fatah officials in Ramallah said they were unaware of an "armed resistance" against Hamas. "Hamas is trying to cover up for its daily crimes against our people in the Gaza Strip," said one official. "Now they are trying to justify their crimes." The official accused Hamas of raiding the Fatah headquarters in Gaza City late Wednesday night. "Their forces stormed the building and kicked everyone out," he said. "They did not offer an explanation for the raid." Ihab al-Ghissin, spokesman for the Hamas Ministry of Interior, confirmed that his forces had "occupied" the headquarters. But he said it was a "temporary" measure taken for security reasons.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Hamas calls for PA gov't of technocrats

2007-06-21

Moussa Marzouk, who has seldom missed a meal. A senior exiled Hamas leader on Wednesday called for the formation of a new Palestinian Authority goverment made up of independent technocrats without Fatah nor Hamas members as a way out of the crisis sparked by the Gaza-West Bank split. Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas set up an emergency government based in the West Bank after Hamas' armed takeover of the Gaza Strip. The government's members are all independents, but Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk appeared to be calling for a new one, formed in consultation with the militant group. "All possibilities are open now. We can reach a consensus on a government - a technocrat government - that includes neither Fatah nor Hamas," Abu Marzouk, the Damascus-based deputy head of Hamas' political bureau, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "The government could not work without a Palestinian consensus, especially between Fatah and Hamas," he said. "Really. We're eager to work ever so closely with our Fatah brothers! Now that we have Gaza." Meanwhile, Hamas leaders said on Tuesday that the US and EU decision to fund the government of Salaam Fayad won't succeed in removing Hamas from power. "Nope. Nope. It'll never work. Yez can just fergit about it." Meanwhile, a prominent Muslim leader from the Gaza Strip was appointed Tuesday as social welfare and agriculture minister in Fayad's cabinet. Sheikh Mahmoud Habbash said he had agreed to join Fayad's cabinet because he felt that he had to carry out his "national duty at this very sensitive and difficult stage." "So you don't have to kill me. Honest." "The decision to lift the financial and political embargo on the Palestinian Authority is part of a conspiracy against Hamas and the Palestinian people," said Sami Abu Zuhri. "The decision to lift the financial and political embargo on the Palestinian Authority is part of a conspiracy against Hamas and the Palestinian people," said Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for Hamas in the Gaza Strip. "The Americans and Europeans are trying to blackmail the Palestinians by providing financial aid only to Fayad's government. They have been trying to remove Hamas from power since 2006, but without success." Abu Zuhri criticized the West for employing double standards in dealing with the Palestinians. "They are refusing to accept the results of a free and democratic election that brought Hamas to power. Instead, they are now supporting the illegitimate government of Fayad." In response to reports that some Arab countries were worried about the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip, Abu Zuhri urged the Arab world to refrain from siding with one Palestinian party against the other. "The Arab world appears to be divided over the last developments in the Gaza Strip," he added. "Some countries have remained neutral, arguing that the world must accept the choice of the Palestinians. However, there are some Arab countries that are continuing to meddle in Palestinian affairs by supporting one side against the other. Abu Zuhri also denied reports that Egypt had decided to move its diplomatic mission from the Gaza Strip to Ramallah. Egyptian diplomats and security officials based in the Gaza Strip were summoned to Cairo following last week's developments. He also denied reports that Egypt has cut off all its ties with Hamas, noting that the head of Egypt's General Intelligence Force, Gen. Omar Suleiman, was continuing to talk to Syria-based Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal. "Hamas did not have any plans to stage a coup against the Palestinian Authority," he said. "The only problem we had was a group of American and Zionist agents who were torching houses and attacking mosques in the Gaza Strip." Another Hamas leader, Khalil al-Hayah, on Tuesday expressed his movement's readiness to resume talks with Fatah to resolve the current crisis. He said Hamas had not planned to take over the Gaza Strip. "Hamas did not have any plans to stage a coup against the Palestinian Authority," he said. "The only problem we had was a group of American and Zionist agents who were torching houses and attacking mosques in the Gaza Strip." Nabil Abu Rudaineh, a spokesman for the PA leadership, said there would be no dialogue with Hamas because it has broken the law. "They were behind the military coup in Gaza," he said. "Before any dialogue, Hamas must withdraw its armed people from all the places they occupied and give back the power to the legitimate authority." Mahmoud "Warty Nose" Zahar, a former Hamas foreign minister, said the Gaza Strip was witnessing a period of calm and stability for the first time since the establishment of the PA in 1994. "The border crossings have reopened and are functioning and there is no shortage in fuel and food," he said. Zahar pointed out that the state of anarchy and lawlessness had moved from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank, where Fatah militiamen were waging a campaign against Hamas institutions and figures. "If these attacks continue, Hamas will be forced to take measures to defend its representatives there," he cautioned. "There are many people in Fatah who are opposed to [Fatah operative] Muhammad Dahlan and Hamas will support them." Zahar said the only way out of the current crisis was by resuming negotiations between Hamas and Fatah. "Either we return to the dialogue between us or we maintain the status quo and [formalize] the separation between the West Bank and Gaza Strip," he said. "Either we return to the dialogue between us or we maintain the status quo and [formalize] the separation between the West Bank and Gaza Strip," he said. "There is no third option. If [Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud] Abbas wants dialogue, then he must rescind all his recent decisions, including the formation of an illegitimate government." Yasser Abed Rabbo, a senior PLO official closely associated with Abbas, accused Iran of encouraging Hamas to use violence to take full control of the Gaza Strip. Iran, he added, was supporting anti-democratic forces in Lebanon, Iraq and the Palestinian territories for its own regional interests. Khaled Abu Hilal, a former Fatah operative with close links to Hamas, has decided to fill the vacuum created by the collapse of the Fatah leadership in the Gaza Strip. Abu Hilal, a former spokesman for the Hamas-led Ministry of Interior, announced that he would form a new party called Fatah al-Yasser (after Yasser Arafat.) Abu Hilal called on the "good guys" in Fatah to join his new party and on Fatah members in the West Bank to follow suit.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Haniyeh appoints new security command for Gaza

2007-06-17

Deposed PA Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas on Saturday appointed a new security command, replacing commanders loyal to moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a spokesman said. However, the spokesman, Khaled Abu Hilal, said none of the lower-ranking officer would be dismissed. The announcement was made on the Hamas-linked TV station, Al Aqsa. The new security chief will be Maj. Gen. Said Fanouna, said Abu Hilal. The officer has been asked to reorganize the National Security forces, the spokesman said. Earlier, the chief commander of the Palestinian police in the West Bank and Gaza, Kamal Sheikh, had announced that he would not work with Hamas, and called on his officers and soldiers not to obey Haniyeh's orders. In response, Haniyeh appointed a new security chief.

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Hamas bans masks, except when killing Joooooos

2007-06-16

In their first order since seizing control of the Gaza Strip, Hamas Islamists banned gunmen from wearing masks — unless they are shooting at Israel. The masks have become commonplace in the Gaza Strip during weeks of factional fighting between the ruling Hamas movement and President Mahmoud Abbas's secular Fatah faction. Both sides wore the masks to hide their identities. “A decision was taken last night to prevent (people from wearing) masks,” Khaled Abu Hilal, a spokesman for the Hamas-controlled Interior Ministry, said. Hamas made one exception, for terrorists militants carrying out cross-border attacks on Israel. “Wearing masks should only be near the borders and in fighting the Zionist enemy, not in the streets and near people's homes,” Abu Hilal said.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Palestinian minister escapes shooting attack

2006-12-11

Unknown Palestinian gunmen opened fire on Sunday afternoon at Interior Minister Said Siyam's motorcade, causing no injuries, Palestinian officials said. Interior Ministry spokesman Khaled Abu Hilal dismissed the shooting as a random attack and denied that the target was Siyam. The men, driving in a nearby car, apparently shot at a car in the motorcade, but not at the vehicle carrying Siyam, he said. The incident marks yet another escalation in the tense relations between Fatah and Hamas; Palestinian security officials are continuing to protest over unpaid salaries for the second consecutive day. Hamas blames Fatah for being the driving force behind the protests.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

'If IDF doesn't leave West Bank, we'll resume attacks'

2006-11-27

Hamas on Sunday dismissed as "unacceptable" Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's threat to arrest any Palestinian who violates the latest cease-fire with Israel. If there's no penalty for violating it, any punk can do so, and will... Meanwhile, several Palestinian armed groups warned that they would resume their attacks unless Israel also halted its military operations in the West Bank. At least three groups, including Islamic Jihad, have refused to sign on to the cease-fire agreement. That's the usual tactic, isn't it? One of them is the Aksa Martyrs Brigades, which said it would not abide by the cease-fire as long as Israel continued to arrest its members in the West Bank. The group, which belongs to Abbas's Fatah party, was responding to the arrest of Mahmoud Kadoura, a top member of the Aksa Martyrs Brigades, in Ramallah. Abu Obaidah, a spokesman for Hamas's armed wing, Izaddin Kassam, also warned that the cease-fire would collapse unless Israel stopped its military operations in the West Bank immediately. "The Israeli aggression must stop in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip," he said. "This is a temporary cease-fire and any Israeli assault on our people in the West Bank will be viewed as a violation of the agreement." Shortly after the cease-fire went into effect at 6 a.m. Sunday, Abbas ordered the deployment of some 13,000 PA policemen in the northern part of the Gaza Strip to stop the firing of rockets at Israel. Abbas also ordered the policemen to arrest anyone who violates the cease-fire. But sources close to Abbas expressed fear that Hamas would try to torpedo the deployment of the security forces. They also worried that some officers would refuse to carry out Abbas's instructions, either for political reasons or to protest unpaid salaries. Abbas's threat drew sharp criticism from Hamas, which warned against any attempt to arrest its members. "The era of political detentions has gone forever," said Khaled Abu Hilal, spokesman for the Hamas-controlled Interior Ministry, which is formally in charge of the PA security forces. Condemning Abbas's threat as "provocative," Abu Hilal said: "Such threats don't help preserve the cease-fire; on the contrary, they jeopardize the cease-fire. We urge those who are issuing threats to backtrack or to deny them." The Hamas spokesman nonetheless stressed his movement's desire to maintain the cease-fire on condition that Israel also abided by it. Ahmed Bahar, a senior Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, claimed that the initiative for the cease-fire came from Israel, not the Palestinians. "The Israelis started begging for a cease-fire because of their defeat [in the Gaza Strip]," he told reporters. "The Palestinian resistance played an important role in repelling the Israeli army. The Palestinians are always triumphant."

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

PA: Hamas smuggled millions in cash into Gaza to pay police

2006-10-26

Hamas managed this week to bring into the Gaza Strip millions of dollars in cash that will be used to pay salaries to thousands of Palestinian policemen, senior Palestinian Authority officials revealed on Wednesday. Interior Minister Said Siam of Hamas brought with him "suitcases stashed with lots of cash." One official estimated that the suitcases contained at least three to five million dollars, while another put the figure at about $10m. The officials told The Jerusalem Post that Interior Minister Said Siam of Hamas, who returned to the Gaza Strip via the Rafah border crossing on Tuesday, brought with him "suitcases stashed with lots of cash." One official estimated that the suitcases contained at least three to five million dollars, while another put the figure at about $10m. Siam, who is formally in charge of the PA security forces, visited Egypt, Iran and Syria, where he managed to raise millions of dollars in donations, the officials added, citing "well-informed Arab intelligence sources." This is not the first time that Hamas leaders have brought millions of dollars in cash through the Rafah border crossing, bypassing international sanctions imposed on the Hamas government. In recent months, two other senior Siam announced that his ministry had decided to give a grant of $50 to each policeman on the occasion of the Muslim feast of Id al-Fitr. Hamas representatives, spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri and Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar, also returned from a tour of Arab and Islamic countries with suitcases containing large amounts of money. Upon his return to the Gaza Strip, Siam announced that his ministry had decided to give a grant of $50 to each policeman on the occasion of the Muslim feast of Id al-Fitr. Khaled Abu Hilal, spokesman for the PA Interior Ministry, said The grants would be paid next week to more than 20,000 members of the police force. the grants would be paid next week to more than 20,000 members of the police force. Hamas is believed to have collected at least $50 million in donations from various Arab and Islamic countries over the past eight months. However, the Islamic movement is facing difficulties in transferring the money into the Gaza Strip because Arab banks are under pressure from the US not to deal with the Hamas government.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Gunmen attack Palestinian official in Gaza, killing 5

2006-09-15

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip Palestinian gunmen opened fire on a car in Gaza City in a drive by shooting that killed a top Palestinian security officer and four of his bodyguards, senior Palestinian security officials said. The brazen mid-afternoon attack occurred near the Beach refugee camp, not far from the home of Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. The gunmen, driving a sports utility vehicle, targeted a gray Audi belonging to Brig. Gen. Jad Tayeh, the head of international coordination in the Palestinian intelligence service, spraying dozens of bullets into the car, said Khaled Abu Hilal, interior ministry spokesman. Tayeh was killed along with four bodyguards. The motive for the attack was not immediately clear, though officials speculated that it could be an internal feud within the intelligence service. Security officials said the attackers took a black briefcase Tayeh was carrying. "This crime and its timing is a dangerous message. We won't accept it or stay silent," said Interior Minister Said Siyam. Siyam said the attack appeared timed to disrupt negotiations to form a national unity government. Gaza has been wracked for much of the year by internal violence between militants from Hamas, which won Palestinian parliamentary elections in January, and those affiliated with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah Party, which controls the security services. The internal fighting ebbed after Israel began a widescale offensive into Gaza in response to a June 25 attack by Hamas-linked militants that led to the capture of an Israeli soldier. Earlier this week, Abbas and Haniyeh, of Hamas, announced that they would form a national unity government in an effort to end sanctions against the Palestinian Authority. Many Palestinians hoped that the agreement would also end the internal tensions. Also Friday, a small explosion caused minor damage in a courtyard outside a Greek Orthodox church in Gaza City, church workers said. The early morning blast appeared to have been caused by a small, homemade explosive device, which damaged a door and caused minor damage to the floor and walls, church workers said. No one was injured. A second explosion hit the church hours later and a concussion grenade was thrown near the church in the afternoon. Neither of those blasts caused any damage, but church officials worried that the attacks were retaliation for remarks that Pope Benedict XVI made Tuesday that angered Muslims. "This is the first time this has ever happened to our church," said the church's priest, Rev. Artinious Alexious. "We don't know why they have done this. We are Greek Orthodox and have no relation to the Pope." Hossam Taweel, a Christian lawmaker and representative of Gaza's Christians, said there was no firm link between the attacks and the controversy over the Pope. "We deal with this incident as a criminal activity and not as a sectarian act," he said.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Case of kidnapped Fox journalists could be resolved in 'the coming hours.'

2006-08-26

Fingers crossed, but would he be putting himself in this position, if he doesn't know something? GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip // With a deadline looming over the fate of two Fox News journalists kidnapped in Gaza City, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said Saturday that he hoped the crisis would be resolved "in the coming hours." The journalists, correspondent Steve Centanni, 60, of Washington, D.C., and cameraman Olaf Wiig, 36, of New Zealand, were seized in Gaza City on Aug. 14. Their captors demanded the release of all Muslims imprisoned by the U.S. by midnight Saturday, in exchange for freeing the Fox journalists. "Okay! Listen up! Tyrone, Homer, and Manuel, youse guys are being freed and sent to Gaza!" "Hey screw, why us?" "The government is releasing all the Muslims." "But none of us is Muslim!" "You are now! Now pack your shit and git moving!" The kidnappers, a previously unknown group calling itself the Holy Jihad Brigades, did not say what it would do to the men if the deadline passed with their demands unanswered. It is not clear whether the kidnappers were local militants, either with ties to Hamas or the rival Fatah movement, or sneaked into Gaza from outside. "We hope that this issue is going to be over in the coming hours," Haniyeh, a Hamas leader, said in a statement. "There are promises that the journalists will not be harmed. I hope that this case is going to be ended and solved in a way that reflects that the Palestinians respect their guests." Haniyeh did not elaborate. Interior Ministry spokesman Khaled Abu Hilal said authorities were exerting efforts to release the journalists, but were not negotiating with the kidnappers. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists called on Saturday for the journalists' release. "Palestinian authorities must continue their efforts to secure the safe release of these two professionals, who were unjustly taken while trying to report the news from Gaza. These journalists should be freed immediately and unconditionally," said Joel Simon, executive director of the committee. There, that should do it. Wiig's wife, Anita McNaught, traveled to Gaza soon after the kidnapping to appealing for the men's safe release. Centanni's brother, Ken, has made a similar plea.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

2 Fox News journalists kidnapped in Gaza

2006-08-14

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Palestinian gunmen ambushed a car carrying a Fox News crew in Gaza City on Monday and kidnapped two of the journalists inside, according to witnesses and Fox. "We can confirm that two of our people were taken against their will in Gaza," Fox News said in a statement. A Fox employee in Gaza, who declined to give his name because he was not authorized to release information about the incident, said the two kidnapped people were reporter Steve Centanni, a U.S. citizen, and a cameraman from New Zealand. The men, along with a bodyguard, were parked near the headquarters of the Palestinian security services when two trucks filled with gunmen pulled up and boxed them in, according to the employee. The gunmen took the two out of their sports utility vehicle, which was marked "TV," and drove away, he said. Major militant groups in Gaza denied having any connection to the abduction, and there was no immediate word of any demands made. Security officials put police across Gaza on alert to find the gunmen and free the journalists, said Interior Ministry spokesman Khaled Abu Hilal. "This is not acceptable at all," he said. Several foreigners have been kidnapped in Gaza in recent months with their abductors demanding jobs from the Palestinian Authority or the release of people being held in Palestinian jails. All those kidnapped have been released within hours without harm.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Palestinian security chief killed in Gaza

2006-05-24

EFL: Look how dey massacred my boy... GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - A Gaza security chief loyal to moderate President Mahmoud Abbas was killed when his car blew up Wednesday, the second attack on security commanders in the volatile area in less than a week. Real impressed with the security around the "security chiefs", by the way... It was not immediately clear who planted the bomb. The attack came during an increasingly bloody power struggle between the Hamas government and Abbas. I dunno...the Barzini's, maybe? The security chief killed Wednesday was identified as Nabil Hodhod, head of the elite Preventive Security Service in central Gaza. The security branch has been spearheading the confrontation against the Hamas militia. Ooooh. "Elite". Let's all act impressed. Security officials said Hodhod had just gotten into his car when a bomb went off. Hodhod was killed and his deputy wounded by the blast, the officials said. Yep. That's the way they usually works... Hundreds of gunmen loyal to Hamas marched through the streets of Gaza City in military-style formation, raising assault rifles and copies of the Quran. This is my rifle, this is my Quran! This is my rifle, this is my Quran! This is... In other sports news... In the West Bank, Israeli soldiers shot and killed four Palestinians and wounded 33 others, Palestinians said, after an Israeli arrest raid turned violent. The Israeli force captured militants including Mohammed Shubaki, an Islamic Jihad leader, and took him out of Ramallah. The army said an undercover Israeli unit in a sedan was fired on by militants and set ablaze, and regular forces were confronted by a huge riot and gunfire. In Gaza, Hamas blamed Abbas' rival Fatah group for the kidnapping and shooting of its militants near the southern town of Khan Younis. Hamas activists said the kidnappers served in the Preventive Security Service. Armed clashes between Hamas and Fatah intensified last week after the Hamas government deployed its own 3,000-member force of militants to the streets. The three Hamas militants emerged from morning prayers at a mosque near the town of Khan Younis. A car with masked gunmen pulled up, bundled the Hamas members into the vehicle and sped off, Hamas officials said. About 15 minutes later, the three Hamas men were found lying in the street near a gas station. Two had been shot in the legs and the third in the abdomen and leg. Hamas officials said the man with the stomach and leg injuries died at a nearby hospital. He was identified as Salem Kadih, 22. Fatah declined to comment on the incident. Maybe they, "fell down"?I n another twist, a 1,000-member unit of gunmen made its debut Wednesday, marching through Gaza City in black T-shirts and bandanas. They professed support for the Hamas militia, even though the logos on their T-shirts identified them as Fatah loyalists. I'M SOOOOO CONFUSED.... Fatah immediately distanced itself from the unit, whose commander, Khaled Abu Hilal, is a former Fatah member who has since been disowned by the group and serves as spokesman of the Hamas-controlled Interior Ministry. Looks like somebody's got money rolling in...

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Blast Wounds Palestinian Intelligence Head

2006-05-20

After they ripped off that 800 grand, Haniyeh got mad. We hit Bruno Tattaglia Tareq Abu Rajab at threee o'clock this morning... GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - A bomb blast seriously wounded the Palestinian intelligence chief at his headquarters Saturday, in what security officials called an assassination attempt against a key ally of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. A bodyguard was killed and nine other people were wounded in the explosion in an elevator shaft of the heavily guarded compound. There was no claim of responsibility. Maybe a bomb vest with a fish in it will show up... The attack came at a time of growing friction between Abbas and the Hamas-led government over control of Palestinian security forces. Recent clashes between rival groups of gunmen have deepened tensions. Maybe. We don't know yet... The intelligence chief, Tareq Abu Rajab, who survived an assassination attempt two years ago, is a top official in Abbas' Fatah movement. Fatah did not openly accuse the Islamic militant Hamas of being behind the blast, but some Fatah members demanded that Abbas dissolve the Hamas-led government and call early elections. Ya gotta have one of these things every three or four hours. It cleans up all the bad blood... Abbas called the blast "unfortunate" and said it posed a "grave danger" to the Palestinian Authority. Because...this...is the business...we've CHOSEN... Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas canceled all appointments for Saturday and formed a committee to investigate the attack, said government spokesman Ghazi Hamad. ...and check for sales on mattresses. "We are asking not to make early judgments, accusations or responses that might lead to tension in the Palestinian streets," said Hamad, in apparent anticipation of Hamas being held responsible. I want no inquiries made. I want no acts of vengance. Yet. Abu Rajab and six aides and bodyguards got into an elevator and were close to the second floor when the bomb exploded before noon at the intelligence headquarters in northern Gaza City. One of the bodyguards was killed, and Abu Rajan and five others in the elevators were seriously wounded. Three others were also hurt, including a secretary riding in an adjacent elevator, doctors said. The wounded were driven to nearby Shifa Hospital in cars of the intelligence service. Fellow agents fired in the air from the car windows to clear the way. Several members of a new Hamas militia fired toward the vehicles, possibly because they believed they were coming under attack, witnesses said. ...and that's the only thing they know how to do. Abu Rajab underwent surgery at Shifa. Gaza doctors said they stopped the bleeding and stabilized him, but decided to send him to an Israeli hospital to try to save his leg. If he loses it, can he become a Mullah? The explosion caused extensive damage and bomb experts were sent to the scene to investigate. Did you make it? I didn't make it. Did you make it? Khaled Abu Hilal, spokesman for the Hamas-controlled Interior Ministry, initially suggested the blast was set off when one of Abu Rajab's bodyguards inadvertently dropped a hand grenade. But he later said his comment was based on inaccurate information. Oh, I'd be quadruple checking that theory. neener neener - your bodyguards are so stupid they drop hand granades. And your mother wears army boots underneath her abaya! The intelligence service said the blast was caused by a bomb and that Abu Rajab was the target of an assassination attempt. Do you think one of us would be stupid enough to drop a grenade? Do You! Don't answer that... Some Fatah members demanded that Abbas dissolve the government and call a new election. A group calling itself the Fatah Protection Unit also demanded that Hamas disband its 3,000-strong militia within three days. The militia was deployed earlier this week, despite Abbas' vehement opposition. If the militia is not removed, "we are ready to deploy our men and our fighters in the streets ... to protect Fatah men and all of Palestinian society," the statement said. We got the politicians and the judges and the cops... Well, so do they. Oh... Last week, Abbas sent Abu Rajab to Jordan to look into Jordanian suspicions that Hamas was trying to smuggle explosives into the kingdom and carry out attacks there. The 2,000-member intelligence service and most members of the security forces are loyal to Abbas. I want you to ask around. Tell 'em your dissatisfied with our family... Abu Rajab has also been involved in security coordination with the United States and Israel. He was seriously wounded in an assassination attempt two years ago when gunmen fired on his convoy, killing two of his bodyguards. Where? On the causeway?

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