Fatah tries to reinforce its hold on the West Bank

Fatah gunmen took aim at Hamas rivals in the West Bank on Saturday, storming the Hamas-led parliament and ransacking offices of the Islamist group amid fears that last week’s fighting in the Gaza Strip could trigger a wider reprisal campaign here.

No deaths were reported in incidents around the West Bank, which came despite Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ efforts to rein in militants affiliated with his secular Fatah party. Fatah still holds sway in the West Bank, but its forces were overpowered in the Gaza fighting, leaving Hamas in sole control of the seaside strip.

Palestinian officials said preventing outbreaks of Gaza-style violence would be the priority of an emergency Cabinet to be named in the next day or so. Four days of combat in Gaza left more than 90 people dead and deepened fears of civil war.

“We have told the security forces to quell any attempt to attack people or offices, regardless of their affiliation, and to use force, if necessary,” said Abbas aide Yasser Abed-Rabbo, a Palestine Liberation Organization official.

The new Cabinet, whose authority may in effect be limited to the West Bank, will exclude Hamas. It will be headed by Salam Fayyad, a moderate lawmaker and former finance minister who is respected by the United States and Israel.

On Thursday, after Hamas seized control of Gaza, Abbas declared a state of emergency and fired Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh as prime minister. But Hamas insists that Haniyeh is still head of the Palestinian government, thus creating competing authorities and deepening the divide between the West Bank and Gaza.

Many Palestinians fear the violence may erase the chance of merging the two areas, which are separated by Israel, into a state. The split, however, could make it easier for the United States and other Western nations to restore aid to a Palestinian government without Hamas, which calls for Israel’s destruction. The U.S. and European Union consider Hamas a terrorist group and cut off aid after it won parliamentary elections last year.

The U.S. consul-general in Jerusalem, Jacob Walles, met with Abbas on Saturday and indicated he expected the U.S. to renew aid soon after the new Palestinian government is formed.

“There won’t be any obstacles, economically and politically, in terms of reengaging with this government. Yes, they will have full support,” Walles told Reuters news agency in an interview.

Factional violence in the West Bank has been limited in scope and severity, even though Fatah’s militias have a huge advantage over Hamas in the number of fighters and weapons. But the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, linked to Fatah, is loosely organized and prone to acting on its own, making it more difficult to prevent assaults against Hamas.

During previous rounds of fighting, whenever Hamas delivered a blow in Gaza, Fatah answered in the West Bank. Its gunmen abducted Hamas activists or shot at the parliament building and headquarters of the Cabinet, until last week led by Hamas.

On Saturday, Fatah gunmen stormed the parliament building in Ramallah, in the West Bank, and accosted lawmaker Hassan Khreisheh, an independent endorsed by Hamas. Khreisheh, who holds the position of second deputy speaker in parliament, said that he believed the men planned to abduct him but that Fatah leaders intervened and the attackers left.

In the West Bank city of Nablus, Fatah gunmen set fire to Hamas-affiliated offices and raided the municipal building, where they hoisted the Fatah flag. They instructed employees aligned with Hamas not to return and said they would name a committee to run the municipality. There also were reports that seven Hamas activists were abducted in Nablus.

In Azariya, near Jerusalem, dozens of men raided the offices of an Islamic trust and kicked out employees. In Bethlehem, attackers set fire to the bookstore of a Hamas city councilman and ransacked his home.

Sami abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, called the West Bank attacks “a real coup and real terrorism.”

“We will take all steps to secure an end to these crimes,” he said.

Gaza remained relatively calm for a second day after ferocious fighting that had spanned the length of the impoverished enclave. Looters ransacked the home of the late Yasser Arafat and overran a police outpost once operated by Fatah on the Palestinian side of the Erez crossing with Israel.

The Erez portal is the main route for people between Israel and Gaza but has been closed for days because of the fighting.

Reaching out to his vanquished foes, Haniyeh named two former Fatah commanders to head the police and national security branches.

Hamas has vowed to restore law and order in Gaza, where militant factions, criminal gangs and private armies have carried out abductions and killings with impunity.

Hamas said an immediate goal was to secure the release of BBC correspondent Alan Johnston, who was abducted in March. The kidnappers are widely believed to be members of the Dagmoush clan who have had ties with Fatah and Hamas.

In other developments, Avi Dichter, Israel’s public security minister, said the Israeli government would allow the passage of food and other basic items into Gaza to prevent a humanitarian crisis.

Israel refuses to deal with Hamas, raising practical questions about how it would manage Gaza border crossings, now closed, with the Islamist group solely in charge.

ellingwood@latimes.com

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Special correspondent Abukhater reported from Ramallah and Times staff writer Ellingwood from Jerusalem. Special correspondent Rushdi abu Alouf in Gaza City contributed to this report.