Thousands of security officers demonstrate in Gaza

Thousands of Palestinian security and police officers recruited in different security apparatuses demonstrated in Gaza on Tuesday to protest the delay in paying their salaries they haven't got since March.

The demonstration was held despite conflicting information saying that President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday instructed security chiefs to cancel the demonstration.

A statement issued by Prime Minister Ismail Haneya's office said that Haneya contacted Abbas, who is currently in Bahrain, and warned him that the security forces demonstration would lead to more violence and chaos.

However, sources at Abbas' office in Gaza denied that the president had made such instructions to the security chiefs asking them to cancel the protest.

Colonel Jamal Hammad, spokesman of national security forces told reporters that the demonstration was not against the government. "It is against the siege imposed by Israel and the United States on the Palestinian people."

Since the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), which won in January legislative elections, took office in late march and formed the new government, more than 160,000 civil and security servants haven't been paid their salaries regularly.

The donor countries, which used to aid the Palestinian Treasury, refused to continue sending donations until the new Hamas-led government meet their conditions in recognizing Israel, the signed accords and condemning violence.

Thousands of security officers took to the streets chanting slogans against Israel and the United States. The demonstrators marched in Gaza and stood in front of the presidential headquarters in Gaza City. The demonstration was peacefully ended.

Most of civil servants, including teachers, had started on Saturday an open-ended strike, until the Hamas-led government guarantees to pay their salaries every month as usual.

Source: Xinhua