Palestinian Interior Minister renews warning of stepping down

Tuesday May 01, 2007 14:48 by Rami Almeghari - 1 of International Middle East Media Center - IMEMC Editorial Group

Palestinian interior minister, Hani Alqawasmi, renewed Tuesday his warning to step down, on claims of lacking cooperation by security officials, who are loyal to the rival Fatah party.

a Palestinian presidential security officer/archive photo

Minister aL-Qawasmi, an independent academic close to the ruling Hamas, said he is going to resign from his post unless President Mahmoud Abbas gives him full security authorities.

Over the past two weeks, a power struggle reemerged between the rival Hamas and Fatah after aL-Qaqasmi rescinded a resignation after it was rejected by the Palestinian government.

aL-Qawasmi’s resignation said to be owed to lack of cooperation among the various security officers, mainly those loyal to Fatah, over security authorities and logistic support.

The minister complained of lacking adequate logistic support such as vehicles and weaponry, in a time the Fatah-loyal security bodies have.

Sources close to Hamas blamed Tuesday underway security unrest on the Fatah-linked Rashid Abu Shbak, accusing him of hampering aL-Qawasmi’s orders that are aimed to restore order to the unruly Gaza Strip.

Abbas created last year the post of general security director amidst a heightened power struggle with the ruling Hamas party, which agreed in late February to a coalition government with Fatah.

According to the London-based Alhayat Arabic newspaper, the exiled Hamas’s political senior, Mousa Abu Marzouq, called on Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas to rule out the post and sack officer Abu Shbak.

“ such an office undermines authorities of the interior minister”, Abu Marzouq was quoted as saying.

gaza strip | internal unrest | news report rami at imemc dot org