MIDDLE EAST: Palestinian authorities have begun enforcing a ban on public displays of weapons, arresting three people and confiscating the guns of off-duty police officers, in a key step toward imposing order in the chaotic Gaza Strip.
The crackdown came as dozens of Palestinian towns and villages in the West Bank held municipal elections. President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party came out ahead but candidates from the militant Hamas group also scored gains, preliminary results showed.
Of the 104 local councils up for grabs in the occupied West Bank, Fatah won control of 61 compared with 28 for Hamas and 15 for other factions.
Pressing forward with its military campaign, Israeli soldiers yesterday killed three Palestinian gunmen during raids in the West Bank. Israel launched the wave of airstrikes and arrest raids last weekend in response to Gaza militants' rocket attacks on southern Israeli towns.
The offensive raised pressure on Mr Abbas to act against militant groups and armed gangs, which operate openly in Gaza. Israel says there can be no peace talks until the groups are disarmed.
In a move to bring order to Gaza, Palestinian officials announced a ban on public displays of weapons and Hamas said it would honour it. Palestinian police chief Ala Husni said that in the wake of Israel's recent Gaza pullout, there was no reason for anyone other than security officers to carry weapons.
"Any weapon now in the street is a criminal weapon," he said.
Authorities yesterday arrested three men carrying Kalashnikov assault rifles and confiscated their weapons. Several security officers also were arrested for carrying guns while off duty.
Mr Abbas said the weapons ban was a first step to imposing law and order on Gaza, but the new Israeli offensive undermined those efforts. The ban went into effect days after an explosion at a Hamas parade killed 21 people. Palestinian investigators said the blast was set off when militants mishandled explosives.
Mr Abbas has urged militants to give up their weapons, but rejects Israel's demand to confront the groups.