Hamas must disarm under unity deal: Palestinian police chief

Hazem Attallah, the Palestinian chief of police, gestures during a news conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Wednesday. (REUTERS)

RAMALLAH: The head of the Palestinian police said Wednesday that Hamas must disarm to allow a landmark reconciliation deal signed last month with rivals Fatah to succeed.
Hazem Atallah’s comments came as cracks began to show in the Palestinian reconciliation deal mediated by Egypt over the issue of security control of the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) is due to retake control of the Gaza Strip, currently still run by Hamas, by Dec. 1.
“We are talking about one authority, one law, one gun,” Atallah told journalists in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, echoing a line from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
He also said: “Security coordination between Palestinian and Israeli services have resumed as it used to be before it stopped,” adding that he was referring to joint efforts to prevent militant attacks, as crime-fighting police cooperation between the sides had never stopped.
Asked whether he could allow Hamas’ armed wing to maintain their weapons while being in charge of police in Gaza, he said: “No way.”
“It is impossible. How can I do security when there are all these rockets and guns and whatever? Is this possible? It does not work.
“Otherwise how can I be in charge? Who is going to be standing and saying ‘I am the chief of police, I am in charge,’ if I am not controlling everything?”
He said the 8,000-9,000 Palestinian police who worked in Gaza before Hamas took over in 2007 would return to their posts, rejecting the idea of merging with the existing Hamas-led police.
This, he added, would need major financial support, as the police’s budget would effectively double.
Hamas seized Gaza in 2007 following a near civil war with Fatah, which currently dominates the PA.
The agreement signed in Cairo does not specify the future for Hamas’ vast armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades. Hamas has so far refused to disarm.
On Nov. 1, Hamas handed over control of border crossings in a first key test.
But in a sign of tension, Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said Tuesday the PA still did not have full control of the crossings, with Hamas dominating the police and security inside Gaza.
Hamas rejected that, with a statement saying it had fully transferred power.
Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organization by the US and the EU, has fought three wars with Israel since 2008.
Israel has maintained a crippling blockade on Gaza for a decade, while Egypt has also kept its border largely closed in recent years. Multiple previous reconciliation attempts have failed.
In Gaza, Hamas has a guerrilla army believed to include tens of thousands of fighters and rockets.
Hamas continues to police Gaza with nearly 13,000 security personnel. Fatah plans to discuss security responsibility further in talks with Hamas and other factions in Cairo on Nov. 21.