Abbas seeks dismissal of West Bank security chief

The Palestinian leader has requested the dismissal of Ismail Jaber, two days after dissident militants opened fire in his compound.

Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas has requested the dismissal of his West Bank national security chief, General Haj Ismail Jaber, two days after dissident militants opened fire in his compound.

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Abbas also sacked Yunis al-Has, national security chief for Ramallah, where the gunmen went on the rampage Wednesday night, highlighting persistent lawlessness in the occupied territories, officials said on Friday.

Earlier it emerged that West Bank intelligence chief Tawfik Tirawi had offered to resign over the shooting.

"He tendered his resignation last night (Thursday) but Abu Mazen has not accepted it yet," an official told the agency, using Abbas's nom-de-guerre.

"He did this because of the corruption and the shooting against the President's office which the security forces have done nothing about," he said.

Late Wednesday, a group of Palestinian gunmen from a militant group loosely affiliated to the dominant Fatah faction opened fire inside Abbas's Ramallah headquarters, prompting the Palestinian leader to order a crackdown in a bid to stem the growing security chaos.

The gunmen fired bullets into the air inside the courtyard of the Muqataa headquarters after being ordered out of the compound where they had been living for months.

In the wake of the shooting, which spread into the city but caused no casualties, Abbas has ordered his troops to "suppress any attempt to harm citizens or their property" and instructed the relevant services to compensate Palestinians who suffered damage in attacks.