Abbas seizes security control

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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has ordered all main branches of the security forces to report to him personally, in a bid to forestall their takeover by Hamas, the Islamic militant movement.

The decision also was aimed at assuaging rising anger from security forces members themselves, backed by one of their leaders, Civil Affairs Minister Mohamed Dahlan who controls the preventive security forces in the Gaza Strip.

It remained far from clear whether Hamas will accept the bid to sustain the power of the long-dominant but increasingly fractious Fatah movement.

Mr. Abbas ordered security chiefs to report to him in his capacity as the "supreme commander of the security forces," rather than to the interior minister or prime minister, according to an official from the Palestinian security services.

There was no formal announcement, but the development also was reported by the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz and Palmedia, a Palestinian news agency.

Ha'aretz quoted an official from the Palestinian security services saying Mr. Abbas gave the order during a weekend meeting at his Ramallah headquarters.

Other sources in Ramallah told The Washington Times that Mr. Abbas has revoked a decree he issued after being elected to the presidency a year ago after Yasser Arafat's death.

In that order, Mr. Abbas had sought to diffuse presidential power by allocating three of the four main security organs to the interior minister, who serves the prime minister.

The intelligence service and a smaller elite presidential guard remained under his direct control, but Mr. Abbas relinquished control over the preventive security forces, the general security forces and the police.

Now, however, the prime minister will be selected by Hamas, which won 76 of the 132 seats in the Palestinian National Assembly on Wednesday.