 GAZA - Palestinian police have arrested two Hamas Islamic terrorists militants on their way to fire rockets into Israel after a gunfight in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Authority said on Tuesday.
| They'll make bail on 'recognizance' this morning. |
The clash on Monday night was the first between police and militants since President Mahmoud Abbas ordered security forces to use an "iron fist" to maintain the ceasefire with Israel. The incident sent tension soaring in Gaza, the main Hamas powerbase.
Hamas said the terrorists militants detained in the northern Gaza Strip were not planning to fire rockets, but confirmed that they were armed -- defying a recent order that only Palestinian security forces should carry weapons on the streets. "The three were in a car, en route to fire rockets, when police waved for them to stop. Gunmen opened fire at the police, forcing policemen to fire back," said Interior Ministry spokesman Toufiq Abu Khoussa.
"Whatcha doin' with them-thar rockets, boys?"
"We ain't going to fire them, we're just, um, ridin' around with 'em!"
"Uh-huh, hokay, but you'll have to come with us."
"No we ain't! Reach for the sky!" |
"Policemen controlled the situation, took away the car, arrested the gunmen and took away their arms," he said. One of the men in the car ran away, escaping arrest.
Abu Khoussa said it was a violation of the agreement by militant factions in March to go along with the ceasefire that Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon agreed to uphold at least until the end of this year.
The Hamas gunmen accused the police of opening fire first and said there was no plan to launch rockets. Another militant group, Islamic Jihad, said it carried out a rocket attack on Israel from nearby in northern Gaza shortly before the Hamas men were arrested. Hamas, which is sworn to destroying Israel, said it was committed to "maintaining calm" and accused the Palestinian Authority of trying to curry favour with Washington at the expense of local unity. "We demand the men be freed in order that Palestinian unity be maintained," said spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri.
| Because unity is a cardinal feature of Paleo political life, ya know. |
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