Fatah gunmen show independent streak in fighting

NABLUS, West Bank (Reuters) -- Wearing a bulletproof vest, Ahmed stood Tuesday on a jeep next to the coffin of a 15-year-old Palestinian killed in clashes with Israeli forces and unleashed a long blast in the air from his machine gun.

"We, the Fatah Hawks, will revive the Intifada, we will fight until death," Ahmed said, referring to the 1987-1993 Palestinian uprising against Israeli rule, as dozens of youths pointed their M-16 and Kalashnikov rifles skyward and fired.

Ahmed and most of his armed colleagues from the Balata refugee camp near the West Bank town of Nablus are members of the Palestinian police force.

But they say their real allegiance is to Fatah, Yasser Arafat's faction in the Palestine Liberation Organization.

"We are loyal to the Tanzeem, not to our security apparatus," said one of the armed men, using the popular Arabic term for members of the Fatah organization.

Fatah Hawks are an unofficial group of Fatah fighters who were active during the "intifada" uprising.

Israeli security officials have said Fatah gunmen have been at the forefront of fighting that has swept the West Bank and Gaza in the last six days.

"Last week, the Palestinian policemen were given orders not to confront us when we use arms against the Israeli soldiers," said the armed man, who asked not to be identified. "We opened fire only after the Israelis were killing our people."

An independent streak

Although Fatah is the ruling party in the Palestinian Authority that administers self-ruled areas in the West Bank and Gaza Strip under interim peace deals with Israel, it also acts independently.

In a sign of that independence, armed Fatah men turned to confrontation after leaving the funeral for the youth killed on Monday by Israeli bullets.

They headed toward Joseph's Tomb, a shrine in Nablus revered by Jews and the scene of bloody fights with Israeli soldiers, and opened fire.

Sameer, one of the gunmen, said a cease-fire agreed late on Sunday by Israeli and Palestinian security officials, did not concern the Tanzeem.

"Whether or not the Tanzeem follow these orders is the real test ... not only for the Palestinian authorities, but also for Arafat -- whether discipline exists," said Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh.

At the holy site, Palestinian policemen said they had orders to try to prevent clashes, but they did little to stop the emotional youths.

"We know emotions are high after the funeral. We will try to stop them, but if we can't, we can't," one policeman said.

The wave of violence, the worst in at least four years, was triggered Thursday by a visit to a Jerusalem shrine by Israeli hawk Ariel Sharon, leader of the right-wing Likud party and reviled by many Arabs.

Is Arafat in control?

"I think Arafat can control his policemen, but he cannot control stone throwers and street emotions," said Hussam Khader, a Balata resident and member of the Palestinian legislature.

Palestinian political analyst Khalil Shikaki said he believed Arafat had given his approval to the eruption of protests and to the use of arms by his Fatah faction.

Shikaki said Arafat had intended to send a message to Israel and the world that he cannot make concessions on the issue of Jerusalem and to highlight the holy city's importance to the Palestinians.

"If he wants to put an end to the protests today, Arafat can but this will come at the expense of his domestic popularity," Shikaki said.

He said he believed Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, due to meet U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in Paris Wednesday, were still interested in pursuing peace.

"(Violence) will stop when Arafat comes back to his people from Paris or elsewhere with political gains, at least the formation of an international inquiry into the six days of killings," Shikaki said.

"If it goes on much longer without political gains, things could get out of control," he added.

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