August 3 Fatah sets up Popular Army
Fatah sets up Popular Army:
Fatah sets up 'popular army' to cope with Gaza pullout
Sakher Abu El Oun
AFP
August 3, 2005
Khan Younis, GAZA STRIP -- Fatah, the ruling Palestinian party, has begun recruiting a "popular army" responsible for helping to keep law and order after Israel's pullout from the Gaza Strip, a spokesman said on Tuesday.
The volunteer force, which Fatah hopes will number some 1,500 people, is being set up on the orders of party leader Farouk Qaddoumi, who is based in Tunis, one of his spokesmen in the Gaza Strip, Suleiman Al Farra, said.
"We have decided to create a popular army to help the Palestinian Authority [PA] take things in hand after Israeli forces withdraw from the Gaza Strip," Farra said, 15 days before the planned pullout is to begin.
Around 250 volunteers make up the kernel of the new group, which on Tuesday was being put through fitness exercises in a football ground in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis.
"The first stage of training began on Monday and will last 45 days," said Mohammed Zurob, in charge of the grouping.
"The popular army will consist of 1,500 volunteers throughout the whole of the Gaza Strip," said Farra.
He said that the army would be mainly number volunteers from Fatah but would also be open to members of other Palestinian factions if they wanted to join.
One of the instructors, Moussa Al Aqad, said that the army would "help the PA with the Gaza withdrawal and to prevent any outburst or attack on the security forces".
The creation of a Fatah "popular army" reflects a desire among the previously dominant Palestinian faction to flex its muscles against the radical Islamist movement Hamas, which is particularly strong in Gaza.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said that the fledgling new Fatah force "proved that the PA is fearing chaos after the Gaza retreat.
"The PA and Fatah accuse Hamas of creating a popular army, when in fact it's them doing it themselves," he added.
Hamas' leader in Gaza, Mahmoud Zahar, said last month that the movement would agree to any move to disarm its members in the aftermath of the imminent Israeli withdrawal from the territory.
Activists from both Fatah and Hamas have been involved in armed clashes in recent weeks, although they have since reached an agreement to bury their differences and save their energies for their common enemy of Israel.
Hamas has accused the PA of refusing to consult the Islamist faction over preparations for the withdrawal, but snubbed an offer to join a national unity government for the duration of the operation.
Fatah sets up 'popular army' to cope with Gaza pullout
Sakher Abu El Oun
AFP
August 3, 2005
Khan Younis, GAZA STRIP -- Fatah, the ruling Palestinian party, has begun recruiting a "popular army" responsible for helping to keep law and order after Israel's pullout from the Gaza Strip, a spokesman said on Tuesday.
The volunteer force, which Fatah hopes will number some 1,500 people, is being set up on the orders of party leader Farouk Qaddoumi, who is based in Tunis, one of his spokesmen in the Gaza Strip, Suleiman Al Farra, said.
"We have decided to create a popular army to help the Palestinian Authority [PA] take things in hand after Israeli forces withdraw from the Gaza Strip," Farra said, 15 days before the planned pullout is to begin.
Around 250 volunteers make up the kernel of the new group, which on Tuesday was being put through fitness exercises in a football ground in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis.
"The first stage of training began on Monday and will last 45 days," said Mohammed Zurob, in charge of the grouping.
"The popular army will consist of 1,500 volunteers throughout the whole of the Gaza Strip," said Farra.
He said that the army would be mainly number volunteers from Fatah but would also be open to members of other Palestinian factions if they wanted to join.
One of the instructors, Moussa Al Aqad, said that the army would "help the PA with the Gaza withdrawal and to prevent any outburst or attack on the security forces".
The creation of a Fatah "popular army" reflects a desire among the previously dominant Palestinian faction to flex its muscles against the radical Islamist movement Hamas, which is particularly strong in Gaza.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said that the fledgling new Fatah force "proved that the PA is fearing chaos after the Gaza retreat.
"The PA and Fatah accuse Hamas of creating a popular army, when in fact it's them doing it themselves," he added.
Hamas' leader in Gaza, Mahmoud Zahar, said last month that the movement would agree to any move to disarm its members in the aftermath of the imminent Israeli withdrawal from the territory.
Activists from both Fatah and Hamas have been involved in armed clashes in recent weeks, although they have since reached an agreement to bury their differences and save their energies for their common enemy of Israel.
Hamas has accused the PA of refusing to consult the Islamist faction over preparations for the withdrawal, but snubbed an offer to join a national unity government for the duration of the operation.
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