Ramallah, 02-10-06: The Palestinian National Initiative (PNI) today called for an immediate end to in-fighting between Fatah and Hamas ‘security’ forces, which saw 9 killed, including a 15-year-old boy, and at least 70 wounded in the Gaza Strip yesterday, and in which the Council of Ministers building in Ramallah was set ablaze by armed supporters of the Fatah movement.
Clashes erupted after Fatah-affiliated security forces took to the streets of towns throughout the Gaza Strip in violent protest at the non-payment of salaries by the Palestinian Authority. The violence escalated when the newly-installed Executive Forces set up by Hamas following their election victory in January 2006, responded by attempting to suppress the protest by force. The violence later spread to Ramallah, Nablus and Hebron in the West Bank, where Fatah supporters blocked roads and attacked government offices, including the Council of Ministers building.
PNI head and parliamentarian, Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, condemned the fighting in which a number of civilians were killed. He called for the immediate formation of a national unity government as a means to averting the possible outbreak of a civil war. Dr. Barghouthi added that should the two sides fail to agree on a unity government, early elections should be held in order that the Palestinian people can express their will. He warned that a continuation of the present situation would quickly lead to internal collapse, and urged all groups to respect the rule of law and to maintain public order.
Dr. Barghouthi also reported that there had been a large turnout at a demonstration in Ramallah on Sunday called for by the PNI to protest the violence and in which a number of other political and civil society groups participated.