Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has told the heads of the Palestinian security services that they are subordinate to the Presidential Office and not the Hamas-led government that will be established in the next few weeks. In a meeting at the Muqata on the weekend, Abbas explicitly instructed the security chiefs to report to him personally, as the „supreme commander of the security forces,” an official from the Palestinian security services in Ramallah told . Abbas made it clear that, in the event of a constitutional crisis in the PA between the Presidential Office, and the parliament and government, the security forces must be loyal to the PA chairman. Abbas also emphasized that the jobs of the security heads are secure and that the government will not take steps to fire them. Fatah activists and Palestinian Authority police officers pledged their loyalty to Abbas on Sunday, briefly taking over the parliament buildings in Ramallah and Gaza City. Israeli officials, meanwhile, tried to gain international support over the weekend for a boycott of Hamas, and to set conditions for talking to a Palestinian government led by or including Hamas.
Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told foreign leaders that Hamas must abolish the clause in its charter calling for Israel’s destruction and accept all agreements and obligations to which the PA is committed. In Damascus, Hamas’ political leader, Khaled Meshal, said the group will honor commitments made by the PA to Israel, provided they serve Palestinian interests. He also said Hamas is ready to merge armed factions, including its military wing, to form an army to defend the Palestinian people. After the Abbas meeting in Ramallah, participants met with policemen and officers under their command to tell them what was discussed. According to the PA constitution, the cabinet and the Interior Ministry are in charge of the security forces, but the chairman is their supreme and direct boss. The temporary constitution states that the chairman is also responsible for the PA’s foreign relations and other critical issues, such as the negotiations with Israel. Abbas’ directive was aimed at preventing the security forces from disintegrating during the interregnum and to prevent a situation in which all centers of power within the PA are transfered to Hamas after it forms the government. Armed confrontations between members of the Palestinian security forces broke out in Gaza over the weekend, mainly between members of the Preventive Security and Hamas activists in Khan Yunis. Similar incidents occurred in Gaza City.
