Raids by Gunmen Shut Palestinian Election Offices
The Palestinian Central Election Commission suspended operations Tuesday after masked gunmen burst into its West Bank and Gaza Strip offices, firing in the air and hauling off computers.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has ordered his security forces to protect election workers, but officials privately acknowledge that violence could endanger the Jan. 25 parliamentary vote. The election is seen as a key to establishing a credible government that could conduct peace talks with Israel.
Many of the masked gunmen who stormed the offices were apparently members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a militant group that claims allegiance to Abbas’ ruling Fatah party.
In Gaza City, about 80 masked gunmen took over the election panel’s office, marked it with a red “X” and left a statement saying Al Aqsa had closed it “until the crisis is resolved.”
In the West Bank city of Nablus, eight masked gunmen stormed the election office, fired in the air and ordered workers out of the building. The gunmen destroyed three computers and took two others, then fired their weapons again as they sped away in two cars.
It was not immediately clear whether the suspension of election activities would affect today’s registration deadline.
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