Palestinian police demand more bullets
Published 9:00 pm Monday, October 3, 2005
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Dozens of disgruntled Palestinian police officers stormed the parliament building Monday, complaining they do not have enough firepower to confront Hamas, and legislators upset over the growing chaos demanded that Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas reshuffle the Cabinet and fire his security chief.
The protest and parliament’s rebuke of Abbas came a day after the worst fighting between Hamas and police in nearly a decade. Three people were killed, including the deputy police chief in the Shati refugee camp near Gaza City, who was shot in the head after he and his men ran out of bullets during a Hamas assault on their station.
In Gaza, only about half of the 18,000 members of the security forces carry guns, with a limited number of bullets at their disposal, the officials say. Hamas in Gaza commands at least 5,000 gunmen, according to some estimates, and has equipped them not only with assault rifles but also with anti-tank missiles and grenades.
About 40 officers posted at the Shati police station briefly stormed the parliament building in Gaza City on Monday, firing in the air in protest. The officers barged into the entrance hall, but legislators locked the door to keep out the intruders.
“Our commander died in front of us, and we were running out of bullets,” one officer, a lieutenant, said on the steps of the parliament building.
“The officials are sitting inside air-conditioned offices and giving us orders without asking us how we can implement them,” said the lieutenant, who did not give his name because he is not permitted to speak to reporters.
Meanwhile, in a 43-5 vote, legislators asked Abbas to present a new Cabinet within two weeks, and many demanded the ouster of Interior Minister Nasser Yousef, who oversees the security forces.
Abbas has promised repeatedly to reform his security services, but progress has been slow. Some officers are engaged in corruption and others are members of armed groups, particularly the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, which has ties to Abbas’ ruling Fatah movement.
