In a fresh attempt to consolidate his rule over the West Bank after the loss of the Gaza Strip, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has ordered all armed groups, including those linked to his own Fatah movement, to disarm immediately.
A decree issued late on Tuesday formally outlawed armed groups not part of the official government security forces, but made no reference to how it would be enforced.
"All kinds of militias and military groups are banned, no matter to whom they belong," an official in Abbas' office yesterday quoted the decree as saying. "The government must end the phenomenon of military groups and is required to implement the law that bans carrying any kinds of weapon or explosives."
Meanwhile, Israeli forces killed at least 12 Palestinians -- mostly gunmen but also a 12-year-old boy and other civilians -- yesterday in the deadliest raid in the Gaza Strip since Hamas seized the territory, medical workers said.
Israel's operation in Gaza City and the southern town of Khan Younis appeared to signal it intended to keep strong military pressure on Hamas along with efforts to isolate the movement financially and politically.
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said the Israeli incursion was part of a "conspiracy in which Abbas is a participant and which is aimed at pressuring Hamas and the people of Gaza."
Four of the nine militants killed in the Israeli operation belonged to Hamas.
In other violence, a senior Islamic Jihad militant died when his car blew up near Gaza City. Palestinians said the explosion was caused by an Israeli airstrike, but the army denied involvement.
Since Hamas' takeover of Gaza, Abbas has been trying to assert his authority in the West Bank to follow through on his pledge to disarm militant groups.
If Abbas is successful, it would mark a significant step in his efforts to restart peace talks with Israel.
The internationally backed "road map" peace plan calls on the Palestinians to disarm militants, while requiring Israel to halt settlement activity in the West Bank. Neither side has met its obligations.
Israel and the international community has rallied behind Abbas in his standoff with Hamas. Israel has promised a series of goodwill gestures, and expressed willingness to work toward a resumption of peace talks.
In a bid to get the road map back on track, the international "Quartet" of Mideast peace mediators -- the US, EU, UN and Russia -- was expected to name outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair as its special envoy yesterday.
Both Israeli and Palestinian officials have reacted positively to the expected appointment.
In his new position, Blair takes on a task that has bedeviled many before him -- a role complicated by Hamas' takeover of Gaza, the weakness of Palestinian and Israeli leaders, and animosity deepened on both sides by six years of conflict.
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