The new commander of the Force-17 presidential guard, Mahmoud Damra, is wanted by Israel. The Jerusalem Post writes:
Damra was one of several fugitives who sought shelter in Arafat’s Mukata compound in Ramallah in 2002 after Israel accused him of masterminding terrorist attacks.
Abbas calls the charges against Damra “baseless.” However, murky connections between Force-17 and Hamas raise questions. According to AP, one of the Palestinians killed in this week’s IDF ambush of a Qassam rocket crew was a member of Force-17:
An officer from the Palestinians’ Force 17 security branch was also killed. Hamas said he was a member of its military wing and was defending the rocket squad.
