Last update - 00:00 28/06/2007
Abbas dismisses Force 17 commander after Gaza failure
By Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondent
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas dismissed on Thursday the Gaza Strip commander of his elite commando and special operations unit, Force 17.
Abu Nidal Mazaal was dismissed after the security force under his command failed to stave off the violent seizure by Hamas of the Gaza Strip two weeks ago. Mazaal's discharge is the last of a long string of dismissals from the Fatah-affiliated security forces in the Gaza Strip.
Last week, Abbas announced the establishment of an investigation committee to probe the failures of the Fatah forces in the face of Hamas in Gaza. The committee is headed by the Palestinian Authority Secretary Tayeb Abed al-Rahim, who is also a member of the Fatah central committee.
Senior Fatah man Marwan Barghouti, currently serving five life prison terms in Israel, last week published a letter urging the Palestinian government to fire all the commanders of the Fatah security services, as well as other senior Fatah officials responsible for the loss of control in the Gaza Strip.
He called for a restructuring of the Fatah leadership in the Strip, and recommended including only Fatah officials currently in Gaza, rather than the West Bank. In this he insinuated that Dahlan, a senior Abbas aide, and his associates should not be included in the new leadership, as they have taken refuge from Hamas in the West Bank.