RAMALLAH, West Bank, April 13, 2006
Palestinian Gunmen Seize Building
Fatah Group Protests Loss Of Jobs And Perks From Hamas Government
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An armed Palestinian in front of the Palestinian Cabinet building in Ramallah, April 13, 2006. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
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Christian women chat as they sit on a bench at the entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, traditionally believed by Christians to be the place where Jesus was crucified and buried, in Jerusalem's Old City, April 13, 2006. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer)
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A Palestinian looks out of a damaged window of the Fatah office following an Israeli missile strike in Gaza City, April 12, 2006. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)
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The gunmen were from the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a violent offshoot of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah Party. Fatah, which dominated Palestinian politics for decades, was defeated by Hamas in January parliament elections.
The previous Fatah-led government gave the gunman jobs and privileges, but Hamas has vowed to clean up promotion, reports CBS News correspondent Robert Berger.
About 20 Al Aqsa gunmen seized the three-story Cabinet building in Ramallah for about an hour, before members of the security forces persuaded them to leave. Many of the gunmen also work in the security forces.
Earlier Thursday, the group had shut down the Transportation Ministry, forcing employees to leave the building.
In other developments:
An Al Aqsa spokesman said the gunmen were upset over the refusal of the Hamas government to meet their demands. The spokesman, Kamal Saffaka, said that the previous government, run by Fatah, had awarded them hundreds of taxi licenses as perks. Each license is worth thousands of dollars.
The group also demanded that its members win promotions in the security forces.
Hamas had campaigned on a clean government platform. Many Palestinians voted for the Islamic militant group because they were fed up with widespread official corruption and the lawlessness of Fatah-linked gunmen.
In another sign of growing Hamas-Fatah tensions, a group of Fatah-affiliated gunmen briefly entered the Women's Affairs Ministry during a dispute between the Hamas minister and a disgruntled employee. The minister called the police and the gunmen left.
©MMVI CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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