Jordan Times
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Jordanian driver killed
in Fateh-Hamas battle
Abbas orders immediate probe
Agencies
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday ordered a probe into the Gaza
killing of Khalid Radaideh, the Jordanian driver of the head of the Kingdom’s
Representation Office.
Abbas said a committee was to immediately investigate the fatal shooting of
Radaideh and take legal action against the attackers, the Jordan News Agency,
Petra, reported.
Radaideh, 55, was killed as he drove past a battle between Hamas activists and
Palestinian police Monday in his Audi, which had a red diplomatic licence plate.
Three bullets hit the front windshield of the car, according to the Associated
Press.
TV footage of the incident showed a Hamas man pressed against a wall firing a
burst of gunfire across the road before a comrade fiercely gestured for him to
stop shooting. A few moments later, the vehicle, with a bullet hole in the
windshield, was seen slowly moving down the road before stopping and rolling
backward.
Head of the Representation Office Yehiya Qarallah was not in the vehicle at the
time. He was taken under police escort to the morgue to identify Radaideh and
sobbed as he left the building.
Jordan demanded an immediate inquiry into the shooting, which came amid
increased tensions between Hamas and the Jordanian government. Jordan has
accused Hamas of smuggling weapons into the Kingdom for use in attacks against
public institutions and officials.
Abbas and Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh called the envoy, offering
condolences and pledging an investigation, according to a statement from
Haniyeh’s office.
Fateh held Hamas responsible for the killing. Both condemned the attack.
“We are waiting for the results of the probe,” Qarallah told reporters,
announcing Radaideh’s body will be brought home today onboard a helicopter to be
laid to rest.
Medical sources at the Shifa Hospital in Gaza said a bullet to the head killed
Radaideh.
Haniyeh asked the diplomat to convey his condolences to King Abdullah, the
government, the Jordanian people and the family of Radaideh.
The Palestinian foreign ministry yesterday issued a statement condemning the
killing.
Meeting to calm tensions
Hamas and Fateh officials met to try to calm tensions on Monday after the battle
near Gaza’s Palestinian parliament.
Six bystanders were wounded as the rival groups traded fire from rooftops,
behind buildings and on a Gaza City street in the latest internal fighting that
will add to fears of civil war erupting in the impoverished territory of 1.4
million people.
The Hamas and Fateh leaders were brought together by Egyptian mediators.
They agreed to hold daily meetings to try to calm tensions and sent a message to
their respective fighters that they would not protect them if they violate
public order.
Tensions have surged in the past week between Hamas, an Islamic movement that
took power in March, and the long-dominant Fateh. Hamas trounced Fateh in
parliamentary elections last January.
After more than two hours of fighting, sporadic shots still echoed through the
largely deserted streets of the seaside city.
Some witnesses said members of the new Hamas-led force returned fire after
coming under attack.
Hamas officials said the assailants were from the Preventive Security Agency,
staffed by men loyal to Fateh. Ordinary police also joined the battle, witnesses
said.
Hamas deployed its new 3,000-strong force in Gaza last week, prompting Abbas, a
moderate, to order police onto the streets too. The rival forces clashed within
barely a day.
Sustained conflict could cause serious bloodshed in densely packed Gaza City,
cripple the Palestinian Authority and strengthen Israel’s position to dictate
borders that would seal its permanent control on swathes of occupied West Bank
land.
War of words too
Tawfiq Abu Khoussa, a spokesman for Fateh, said security would worsen if Hamas
kept its new force on Gaza’s streets in defiance of orders from Abbas to disband
it. Abu Khoussa accused Hamas of firing rocket-propelled grenades at police
headquarters in Gaza during Monday’s clash.
Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, said the Hamas force members were defending
themselves after coming under attack.
In Washington, the State Department condemned the latest violence and said Hamas
was jeopardising the security of the Palestinians.
“It’s pretty clear that the Hamas-led government harms the interests of the
Palestinian people and... they risk further isolation as they move forward,”
State Department Spokesman Tom Casey said.
Hamas, which is formally committed to Israel’s destruction, has largely abided
by a truce in attacks on Israelis for the past 15 months. But it has bolstered
its forces in its Gaza Strip stronghold as it attempts to face down internal
rivals.
Fateh seeks a two-state solution to end the conflict.