PA officials concerned turmoil will escalate

[Gimel]

In more scenes of lawlessness and chaos in the Gaza Strip, Fatah gunmen on Saturday set fire to a Palestinian Authority police station and briefly occupied the headquarters of the Khan Yunis governor, demanding that PA Chairman Yasser Arafat fire his cousin Gen. Musa Arafat, from a senior security post.

PA security officials expressed concern that the turmoil in the area would escalate in the next few days.

"If Gen. Musa Arafat remains in his job, there will be a civil war," said one official. "President Arafat must act quickly before the big explosion."

In Ramallah, Arafat, in his first comments on the internal strife, told reporters outside his office that Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei never asked for control over the security forces.

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An interesting cartoon in Ma'ariv (Friday edition) shows Arafat being held up by Palestinian terrorists. "Who sent you", he asks. "You did", they reply.