Gunmen shoot dead Hamas judge at Gaza courthouse

[cali]

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza (Reuters) - Unidentified gunmen dragged a judge from the Hamas Islamist movement out of a taxi and shot him dead in front of his courthouse in Gaza on Wednesday, increasing fears of a Palestinian civil war.

Officials from the governing Hamas faction said Bassam al-Fara, 28, was a judge in a civil court but also a member of the group's armed wing.

Witnesses who declined to be identified told Reuters at the scene the gunmen had eaten breakfast in a nearby restaurant in the town of Khan Younis while waiting for Fara to arrive. They shot him at point blank range after pulling him from the car.

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061213/ts_nm/palestinians_dc_27

[Kagemusha]

1. This isn't a civil war, it's a gang war!

This is right out of the Prohibition era. Except in this case, the government factions are gangs, too.

[TechBear_Seattle]

2. Ah, the ambiguity of the English language

I read your headline and thought, "Why would the gunmen shoot the judge if he were already dead?"

[cali]

3. Yeah, that headline is truly

bad, but rules is rules- and I/P demands that the exact headline be used.

[TechBear_Seattle]

4. I would think that AP could be less ambiguous

A headline of "Gunmen shoot Hamas judge dead at Gaza courthouse" would be clearer. But anyway, enough with this diversion. :hi:

[Behind the Aegis]

5. Palestinian gunmen kill Hamas-linked judge in southern Gaza

A Palestinian judge affiliated with Hamas was shot to death Wednesday morning by armed men outside a courthouse in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.

Palestinian security officials said the man killed was Bassam al-Fara, 30, a judge at the Islamic court and a Hamas member, who belongs to the largest clan in Khan Younis.

Witnesses said four gunmen ambushed al-Fara, opening fire as he emerged from his car and began walking into the courthouse. Hospital officials said al-Fara's body was riddled with several bullets.

The drive-by shooting came two days after the killing of the three young children of a Fatah-allied Palestinian intelligence officer, sparking renewed clashes between the rival Hamas and Fatah factions and raising the specter of a civil war among Palestinians.


more...

[aquart]

6. Just like the Crips and the Bloods.

And we all want one of them living next door.

[oberliner]

7. Where do you think this is headed?

Any thoughts on how the conflict between Fatah and Hamas will be resolved?