Three days of mourning declared for Palestinian casualties in Gaza rally
At least 250,000 Palestinians gathered at the beach in Gaza City yesterday to commemorate the third anniversary of the death of Yasser Arafat. The rally was called by Arafat’s Fatah organization. Hamas security officers were in control. As the rally ended, shots rang out. So far, there are 7 dead, and over 80 wounded.
Al-Jazeera is reporting over 100 wounded on its English-language website, with more casualties during funerals for the victims in Gaza on Monday.
The Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority, headed by Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas, has declared three days of mourning.
Here is how the event was reported, first in Ramallah, then in Gaza, now controlled by Hamas since it took over control from Fatah security forces in mid-June. The reports were collected by the BBC Monitoring Service.
Palestinian Killed in Arafat Death Anniversary Ceremony Clashes
BBC Monitoring Newsfile
November 12, 2007
PNA Presidency-controlled Ramallah Palestine Satellite Channel Television in Arabic at 1100 gmt broadcasts live images from Fatah’s central ceremony, commemorating the third anniversary of the death of late President Yasir Arafat. Shots are heard and the crowd is seen running away from the site. The television carries a breaking news screen caption saying: “Hamas militias are attacking the central ceremony from Islamic University’s rooftop.”
In the meantime, the Hamas-run Al-Aqsa Satellite Television in Arabic at 1115 gmt carries a breaking news screen caption saying: “Fatah members are attacking institutions and police centres following the Fatah ceremony in Gaza City.” It is followed by another breaking news screen caption, reading: “Interior Ministry monitors eight violations by the participants in the Fatah ceremony. Citizen killed by Fatah gunmen in Gaza.”
The BBC Monitoring Service report is here.
Al Jazeera is reporting Tuesday that “Witnesses said the shooting broke out as crowds of Fatah supporters threw rocks at Hamas security forces and chanted ‘Shia, Shia’, accusing them of serving the interests of Iran. Mohammed Dahlan, Fatah’s former security chief in Gaza, said Hamas’s harsh response was a sign its grip on Gaza is weakening. ‘What is happening in Gaza today is the beginning of the end of Hamas on the popular, religious and moral level’, he told Palestine TV. Hamas said Monday’s events were an attempt to exploit Arafat’s memory in order to ’cause chaos and confront Hamas’.”
Al Jazeera’s English-language website’s report is here.
The Associated Press has reported from Gaza City that “The images of Hamas policemen facing off against large groups of rock-throwers challenged Hamas’ claim that it has established tight control … [As the crowd was beginning to leave the rally] Fatah stone-throwers clashed with armed Hamas policemen. ‘It was a big mess, and everyone was running for cover’, said a wounded 24-year-old demonstrator who would give only his first name, Farouk, for fear of repercussions by Hamas. While he lay on the ground waiting for help, he said he saw a man in a wheelchair trying to hide near a wall. In one confrontation, an Associated Press reporter observed about 30 Hamas policemen — some posted on the rooftop of a government ministry, others on the streets below — firing heavily for about 10 minutes. Some appeared to be shooting over the heads of Fatah stone-throwers while others were firing randomly. In another, AP Television News footage showed hundreds of young Fatah activists, some wrapped in yellow flags, facing off against Hamas police in black or blue-camouflage uniforms across an intersection. The Fatah supporters pelted Hamas troops with stones, surging forward even as they were met by heavy bursts of gunfire. One Hamas policeman dropped to one knee for better aim. At one point, a young stone-thrower collapsed and was carried off by others. Elsewhere, AP photographers observed frantic demonstrators commandeering private cars to take the wounded to hospitals. Medical officials said seven civilians were killed and 85 people were wounded. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri held Fatah responsible for the violence, saying Fatah gunmen had been posted on high-rise buildings overlooking the rally to shoot at Hamas police officers as a planned provocation. Hamas said five of its policemen were wounded by sniper fire from the roof of the pro-Fatah Al Azhar University near the rally. ‘If Hamas was planning today’s incidents, why would we have allowed the rally to take place?’ Abu Zuhri told a news conference. Fatah denied the charge, saying no armed men were allowed at the rally. An AP reporter saw 10 Fatah gunmen being turned away at the start of the rally. Medical officials said none of the dead was a Hamas policeman. After nightfall, Hamas forces arrested 27 Fatah activists involved in planning the rally, Fatah officials said. They also confiscated computers and documents from a Fatah media office. Tens of thousands of Fatah supporters still draw a monthly salary from Abbas’ West Bank government … ”
The AP collection of eyewitness accounts is here.
Despite any nuances (witnesses reported yesterday seeing truckloads of Fatah promotional items coming through the Israeli-controlled border crossings, while normal consumer products have been banned for months; the PA still pays the salaries of the Fatah loyalists in Gaza), Hamas is getting the brunt of the blame.
Agence France Presse reported that “The deaths added salt to the wounds of already bitter divisions among Palestinians, with Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad blaming top Hamas leaders for the killings. ‘Senior officials in Hamas ordered these crimes which were carried out by the Hamas militia in order to terrify the people… Now their punishment is a national duty’, Fayyad said in a statement from his office. President Abbas on official television denounced ‘these horrible crimes committed by a band of rebels… before the eyes of the entire world’. Earlier, the head of the secular Fatah party’s parliamentary bloc ruled out future talks with the Islamists, who had called for a return to a national unity government that briefly united the factions before the takeover. ‘There will be no dialogue and no discussions with the killers and coup-makers of Hamas’, Azzam Ahmed said in a statement. Hamas blamed Fatah gunmen for instigating the clashes, accusing them of firing down on police from the rooftops around the square. They ‘opened fire on Palestinian police, wounding four of them, then a group within the rally started throwing rocks at police, and the clashes ensued’, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said at a press conference. His account was disputed by an AFP correspondent and several witnesses, who said Hamas police opened fire on the demonstration”.
The AFP report of denunciations of Hamas is here.
There is a heavy pall of anger and grief in the air. Ironically, just the day before this violence in Gaza, the Palestinian independent news agency, Ma’an, reported that “Deposed Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh renwed calls for comprehensive dialogue with the rival Fatah party in order to resolve the deep political divisions in Palestinian society on Sunday. In an unprecedented move, Haniyeh suggested Hamas might hand over control of the security forces in the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority”. The Ma’an report on Haniya’s offer to put Gaza’s security forces under direct PA control is here.
Tags: Arafat commemoration rally, Fatah, Gaza, Hamas