Democracy Palestinian Style
Charles Johnson
Tue Dec 13, 2005 at 8:45 am PST • Views: 180
Gunmen storm Gaza election office, spark gunbattle. (Hat tip: WriterMom.)
GAZA, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Palestinian gunmen from President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party stormed election offices in Gaza on Tuesday, sparking a gunbattle with police in a flare-up of violence that could disrupt next month’s parliamentary ballot.
The shooting by militants angry over the handling of ruling party primary elections forced the closure of all Palestinian election offices in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
About 100 al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades gunmen fired in the air as they burst into the election headquarters in Gaza City shortly before rival Hamas militants were expected to register their candidate lists for the vote.
At the same time, gunmen raided election offices in the West Bank city of Nablus, and in Rafah and Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip. There were heavy clashes with police in Khan Younis but no immediate reports of casualties.
Frank says: