MIDDLE EAST: The signs of deepening chaos in Gaza seemed everywhere yesterday: three British citizens kidnapped near the border crossing with Egypt; Palestinian gunmen occupying election offices; Israeli artillery shells landing in the northern part of the Strip.
The three Britons were kidnapped after they entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing. While details of the abduction were sketchy, according to some accounts the vehicle of a human rights worker who was driving with her parents was stopped and the three were forced into a car which sped off. The young woman was named last night as Kate Burton, from Scotland.
The kidnapping is the latest incident of this kind in recent weeks, in which militants have abducted Westerners in the Strip, either demanding jobs or the release of Palestinian security prisoners by Israel. In all cases, those kidnapped have been released unharmed after several hours.
The growing lawlessness has undermined Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who has also desperately been trying to unite his fractious ruling Fatah Party just weeks before the January 25th parliamentary elections in which he faces a formidable opponent in Hamas. There was some good news, though, for Mr Abbas, when the competing factions in Fatah managed to present a single, unified list yesterday for the upcoming election.
A showdown between the Fatah old guard - leaders who returned to the occupied territories with Yasser Arafat in the mid-90s - and the party's young guard, who grew up in the territories, threatened to rip the ruling party asunder and open the way for Hamas.
But not all Fatah members were happy with the deal that prevented the split, and gunmen from the Fatah-associated Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, who feel they do not have sufficient representation on the list, stormed election offices across the Strip.
In Gaza City, several dozen gunmen exchanged fire with Palestinian police as they tried to take over the main election office. There were similar confrontations in Rafah, Khan Younis and Dir el-Balah, with the standoffs ending after a few hours.
In northern Gaza, meanwhile, Israel began firing shells into an area from where militants have been launching rockets, as part of an attempt to impose a no-go zone. Israel hopes this will push the rockets out of range of Israeli towns. As part of an operation dubbed "Blue Skies", the military has said it will shoot at anyone entering the no-go area.