The Palestinian interior minister of the Hamas-led government announced the creation of a special unit consisting of armed fighters and led by a man wanted by Israel. The minister, Said Siyam, appointed Jamal Abu Samhadana, the head of the Popular Resistance Committees, as director general of the Interior Ministry.
The 45-year-old, who has survived several Israeli assassination attempts, will control the new force. Samhadana was given the rank of colonel.
The move is considered a direct challenge to the authority of President Mahmoud Abbas, and was quickly denounced by Israel and the United States. Today, all the Palestinian security forces are under the control of Abbas, who is officially also in charge of security responsibilities and appointments.
"We want to end the security chaos and illegal activity in the Palestinian territories," Siam told supporters in Gaza City. "We need all people to support us in this mission," he added.
The interior ministry spokesman, Khalid Abu Hilal, said the new force would be made up of hundreds of fighters from the armed wings of all factions, and would support the work of police and security services.
"This is just another window into the nature of this Hamas-led government and underscores the importance of the international community maintaining unity in sending a strong message to them to change," reacted the US state department spokesman, Sean McCormack.
Israeli Foreign Ministry official Gideon Meir echoed that. "If someone needed proof about the connection between the Hamas rule and Palestinian terror, this appointment is the ultimate proof for this connection," he told the AP. "It's like allowing the fox to guard the chicken coop."
