Palestinian Civil War

Yesterday members of the al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade fired shots at the Muqata, the Palestinian seat of government, while Abbas was inside. The al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade is actually a part of Abbas's Fatah faction which made this attack somewhat strange. Now it seems that this is just a continuation of the power struggles not just within the Palestinian Authority as a whole, but also within Fatah. A few of the shooters were terrorists who had been holed up in the Muqata for the past 4 1/2 years because they were on Israel's wanted list and were being protected by Arafat and then Abbas. It seems that after this latest incident, they have lost their protection.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Thursday expelled a group of militants from his West Bank headquarters who had been given refuge by Yasser Arafat, a spokesman for the gunmen said.

Abbas ordered the 26 out after half a dozen of the gunmen -- from his ruling Fatah faction -- fired at his Muqata compound in Ramallah overnight while he was inside and then rampaged through the city, damaging shops. No casualties were reported.

One might think that this might spur the Palestinian Authority to actually confront these terrorists, but beyond their declarations they will once again do nothing.

Palestinian officials on Thursday backed away from a declaration that they would go after gunmen who shot up Mahmoud Abbas' office building and rampaged through Ramallah, underlining the difficulties authorities face in restoring order in the chaotic West Bank.

Abbas, who was in the building but was not hurt in the gunfire late Wednesday, ordered a crackdown, and security officials said the renegades had "crossed a red line" by attacking the seat of government. But in the light of day, the officials adopted a conciliatory line, and one admitted they feared coming under armed attack themselves.