Thursday, December 14, 2006

Fatah's General Intelligence unit makes a one time arrest

Reuters is reporting this interesting development:
GAZA (Reuters) - Palestinian intelligence agents arrested a member of a militant group in Gaza on Thursday in connection with the deaths of three young children earlier this week, witnesses and a security source said.

The General Intelligence unit of the Palestinian security forces, a body allied to President Mahmoud Abbas, arrested Hisham Mukhaimar, a member of the Popular Resistance Committees, at his home in Gaza City, the group and witnesses said.

A Palestinian security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the arrest was linked to the investigation into the killing on Monday of three schoolboys whose father was an intelligence official considered close to Abbas. The General Intelligence unit would not comment on the arrest. Because General Intelligence rarely arrest members of militant groups, Thursday's operation was considered significant, political sources said.

A spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) demanded Mukhaimar's immediate release and threatened retaliation if he was not set free. "The PRC condemns the arrest by tens of masked men from the General Intelligence of a member of the PRC after they threw hand grenades and opened fire at his house," Abu Amir said. "We demand his immediate release or else." Hours later, masked gunmen abducted a General Intelligence member in Gaza City, security sources said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. The security sources said they believed the abduction was related to Mukhaimar's arrest.

No guff Sherlock.

On the one hand, this may help to shore up support for Abbas within Fatah, but I wouldn’t take it as a sign that Abbas will attempt to establish the rule of law. Gaza is a place where the only law seems to be rule of the jungle.

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