10 Palestinians die in infighting, Israeli clashes

Fatah-Hamas deadlock
The factional fighting is a result of the political deadlock between Hamas, which controls the Cabinet, and Abbas, who was elected separately and wields considerable power. Talks on power-sharing between Hamas and Fatah have failed, and truce attempts have repeatedly collapsed.

Abbas met with leaders of political factions in Gaza on Thursday night. The smaller Islamic Jihad group, which has stayed out of the fighting, planned to propose more unity talks, this time between Abbas and Hamas’ supreme leader, Khaled Mashaal.

As the fighting worsened, Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas cut short a tour of Arab nations and returned to Gaza.

At a news conference late Thursday, he called for an end to the violence. “There is no option before us but national unity,” he said.

In several places in the West Bank late Thursday, Fatah militants attacked Hamas offices and vehicles. One Hamas activist was wounded, Palestinian security officials said.

The Israeli army raid in Ramallah took the Palestinians by surprise.

Two-hour battle
It began when troops tried to arrest fugitives from the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, a violent Fatah offshoot, in the vegetable market. A gunbattle erupted, and Israeli forces sent reinforcements, including armored personnel carriers, bulldozers, jeeps and an attack helicopter.

For about two hours, a heavy battle raged, sending residents scrambling for cover. Bursts of gunfire, loud booms and ambulance sirens could be heard across Ramallah. At one point, a helicopter fired large-caliber bullets.

The apparent target of the raid, Rabih Hamed, was seriously injured. A photographer for the local news agency Maan was critically wounded by a gunshot to the head.

Meanwhile, Israeli TV and Channel 2 television reported that Olmert had decided to remove his defense minister, Amir Peretz, citing sources in the prime minister’s office. Olmert’s office, however, denied the reports.

Peretz, who has a limited security background has come under fire, along with Olmert, because of the inconclusive results of last summer’s war with Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon.

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