|
PLC member attacked
A legislator from the Gaza Strip, whose offices were raided by gunmen on Saturday night, has called on the Palestinian Authority to investigate into the incident. Eyewitnesses said 12 Fatah gunmen broke into the offices of Jamilah Saidam, a female representative of the Deir el-Balah district in the Palestinian Legislative Council, beating some of the workers and destroying furniture and documents. Saidam, who is also a member of Fatah, was not in the office at the time. They said the attackers also fired several shots and hurled a stun grenade into the building in central Gaza before leaving. The assault is seen as part of a power struggle between rival Fatah militia in the Gaza Strip. Talaat Musleh, the director of Saidam's office, said a dozen gunmen stormed the offices in the morning. "The first thing they did was to remove a picture of her husband, Mamdouh Saidam, and trample on it," he said. Mamdouh was a senior Fatah activist who was killed by the IDF in Lebanon about two decades ago. According to the eyewitnesses, the gunmen closed the street where Saidam's offices are located before storming the building. "They were armed with pistols and automatic rifles," said one eyewitness. "They told us that they belong to Fatah." Saidam condemned the attackers as "suspicious elements trying to drag the Palestinians into a civil war." She said she contacted the commanders of all PA security forces in the Gaza Strip and urged them to arrest the assailants and those behind them. "The gunmen did not make any demands," Saidam added. She pointed out, however, that a senior Fatah activist approached her last week seeking financial aid from PA Chairman Yasser Arafat for his wedding party. Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip refer to their legislators seeking financial aid from Arafat and the PA. The aid is often approved at the recommendation of the legislators. Saidam described the ripping up of her husband's picture as a "despicable act," noting that he was one of the founders of Fatah's Al-Asifa militia, which operated in Lebanon and Syria in the 1970s and 80s. The PLC issued a statement strongly condemning the attack and calling on the PA security forces to stop armed thugs from roaming the streets of the Gaza Strip. The statement noted that this was not the first time gunmen had attacked the offices of a PLC member. "Such attacks obstruct the work of the Palestinian legislator, defame the PA and harm the feelings of the people who elected their representatives in a democratic and free vote," the statement added. Adnan Issa, a senior Fatah official in the Gaza Strip, said the attack reflected the state of lawlessness and chaos prevalent in the PA-controlled territories. A group called "The Honorable in Fatah" claimed responsibility for the attack on Saidam's offices, accusing her and other senior Fatah officials of corruption. "The giant Fatah has risen and decided to expel the corrupt elements in Fatah," the hitherto unknown group said in a leaflet distributed in the Gaza Strip. It said the attack was meant to deliver a warning to all those who are exploiting the people and harming their interests. Posted by: Fred 2004-05-09 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=32616 |