lip1978
Aug 7th, 2005, 12:13 PM
http://www.africasia.com/services/news/newsitem.php?area=mideast&item=050807155602.1ktf602l.php
Fatah official seized in Gaza
A representative of Faruq Qaddumi, the chairman of the ruling Fatah party, was seized in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, just days after announcing the creation of a new "popular army", his office said.
Suleiman al-Farra was snatched at gunpoint from his office in the southern Gaza town of Khan Yunis by armed men in plain clothes, witnesses said.
"We will not allow this criminal thing to take place and I will take tough measures against the kidnappers and those behind it if he is not released in the next 24 hours," the Tunis-based Qaddumi said in a statement.
The Fatah communique accused officers from preventative security of arresting the man.
But officials from Palestinian preventative security refused to confirm or deny the charges when questioned by AFP, leaving open the question of whether he was kidnapped or detained in custody.
Dozens of masked gunmen protested in the streets of Khan Yunis, firing bullets into the air and burning tyres to clamour for Farra's release.
Last Tuesday, the official announced that Fatah has begun recruiting a "popular army" -- responsible for helping to keep law and order after Israel's imminent pullout from the Gaza Strip.
The volunteer force, which Fatah hopes will number some 1,500 people, is being set up on the orders of Qaddumi.
The Palestinian Authority is battling against increasing lawlessness in the occupied territories where gunmen from militant factions are often able to operate above the law.
Last month, an Australian and a Palestinian working for the United Nations were taken hostage by masked gunmen in Gaza City but were released unharmed within 24 hours.
Militant groups in the Gaza Strip are also jockeying for influence ahead of this month's Israeli withdrawal.
Fatah official seized in Gaza
A representative of Faruq Qaddumi, the chairman of the ruling Fatah party, was seized in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, just days after announcing the creation of a new "popular army", his office said.
Suleiman al-Farra was snatched at gunpoint from his office in the southern Gaza town of Khan Yunis by armed men in plain clothes, witnesses said.
"We will not allow this criminal thing to take place and I will take tough measures against the kidnappers and those behind it if he is not released in the next 24 hours," the Tunis-based Qaddumi said in a statement.
The Fatah communique accused officers from preventative security of arresting the man.
But officials from Palestinian preventative security refused to confirm or deny the charges when questioned by AFP, leaving open the question of whether he was kidnapped or detained in custody.
Dozens of masked gunmen protested in the streets of Khan Yunis, firing bullets into the air and burning tyres to clamour for Farra's release.
Last Tuesday, the official announced that Fatah has begun recruiting a "popular army" -- responsible for helping to keep law and order after Israel's imminent pullout from the Gaza Strip.
The volunteer force, which Fatah hopes will number some 1,500 people, is being set up on the orders of Qaddumi.
The Palestinian Authority is battling against increasing lawlessness in the occupied territories where gunmen from militant factions are often able to operate above the law.
Last month, an Australian and a Palestinian working for the United Nations were taken hostage by masked gunmen in Gaza City but were released unharmed within 24 hours.
Militant groups in the Gaza Strip are also jockeying for influence ahead of this month's Israeli withdrawal.