Palestinian Anarchy Watch
Gaza Gunmen Shoot Palestinian Intelligence Chief.
GAZA (Reuters) - Gunmen ambushed the commander of the Palestinian intelligence service in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, wounding him, killing two bodyguards and fueling fears of spreading chaos.
The apparent attempt to kill Tareq Abu Rajab, acting head of the General Intelligence Service, was the latest sign of unrest amid a power struggle ahead of an Israeli pullout from occupied Gaza and growing demands for anti-corruption reforms.
Hours after the attack, Palestinian legislators voted for a package of widely-demanded reforms. But sponsors feared nothing would come of it because Yasser Arafat had withheld approval.
Rajab, 58, was close to President Arafat, but not widely seen as taking sides in a power struggle that pits younger leaders — who say they want change — against an old guard accused of corruption and failing to win a state.
Gunmen fired from two moving cars as Abu Rajab drove to his office in Gaza City, witnesses said. Then they peeled off in different directions in what looked like a carefully plotted attack.