Last update - 00:00 28/11/2007
PA security men open fire at W. Bank funeral, wounding one
By The Associated Press
A Palestinian was critically wounded in the West Bank on Wednesday when President Mahmoud Abbas's security forces opened fire at a funeral for a man killed in a protest against Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, medics
said.
Witnesses said that Abbas's forces fired into the air to disperse the crowd of thousands after mourners in the West Bank city of Hebron began throwing stones at the security officers.
Medical workers said the man was shot in the neck and several others were wounded. Dozens were arrested and security officers confiscated the flags of Islamist groups including Hamas, witnesses said.
The crowd gathered for the funeral of a demonstrator killed on Tuesday at a rally held by a small Islamist group against the U.S.-sponsored Annapolis peace conference. Witnesses at Tuesday's rally said the man was shot by security forces but police denied responsibility.
Abbas agreed with U.S. President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at Annapolis to launch immediate talks on creating a Palestinian state alongside Israel with a goal of sealing an accord by the end of next year.
Abbas, who lost control of the Gaza Strip to Hamas Islamists in June, holds sway in the West Bank and has promised to crack down on militants as part of the 2003 U.S. road map peace plan.
Abbas' government announced a ban on public demonstrations over the weekend ahead of the Annapolis summit. The pro-Western president leads an emergency government based in the West Bank.
In Tuesday's unrest, Palestinian police violently dispersed a series of protests throughout the West Bank using clubs, tear gas and live fire. In addition to the Hebron fatality on Tuesday, four people in other towns were critically wounded and dozens were arrested.
The Liberation Party, a tiny, unarmed Islamic group, organized Tuesday's protests. But Hamas activists joined the funeral procession on Wednesday, waving the movement's green flag and hurling rocks at police.
The protest ban, and heavyhanded tactics used by Abbas' police, could threaten to undermine him as he tries to rally support for peace making with Israel. Human rights groups have accused him of suppressing dissent.
In Gaza, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said the violent reaction to the funeral procession illustrates the extent of the conspiracy in Annapolis and shows killing and repression at the hands of Palestinian security because they hang on to their rights.
Despite the comments, Hamas has shown little tolerance for dissent in Gaza. Earlier this month, Hamas forces killed eight people at a mass rally organized by Abbas' Fatah movement.
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