| Comes as a surprise, huh? I know, it's totally out of character for them... |
Leading militant groups in Palestinian territories vowed Monday to defy President Mahmoud Abbas's bid to disarm hundreds of gunmen wanted by Israel. Leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad rejected Abbas's efforts outright while Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, part of his own Fatah movement, appeared divided on how to respond.Abbas, elected in January to succeed the late Yasser Arafat, took action after a group of militants fired at his West Bank compound and went on a shooting rampage in Ramallah last week. He is not only under pressure from Israel and the United States to fulfill pledges made at a February cease-fire summit but also fears Palestinian voters, fed up with lawlessness, will punish his ruling Fatah group in a July parliamentary election. Abbas issued a decree on Sunday giving committees of officials in the West Bank and Gaza two weeks "to resolve the issue of the fugitives," referring to about 530 militants on Israel's wanted list for alleged involvement in attacks. Under the decree, the wanted men would voluntarily disarm and be recruited into the Palestinian Authority, a security source said. Israel would no longer pursue them under a deal Abbas reached with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. It was unclear what, if any, action Abbas would take if militants refused to comply. He has tried to use dialogue rather than force despite Israel's demands for a crackdown.