Governor abducted, bashed by Palestinian gunmen

JENIN - Palestinian gunmen abducted the Governor of the West Bank city of Jenin yesterday after he tried to crack down on their militant group, but freed him five hours later on President Yasser Arafat's orders.

The abduction highlighted the difficulties Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas faces in reining in militants under a United States-backed peace plan, and underlined Arafat's continuing influence with some groups despite US and Israeli efforts to sideline him.

The local branch of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed group with links to Arafat's mainstream Fatah movement, said it had abducted Governor Haider Irsheid after he ordered supporters to shoot some of its members.

Witnesses said that about 20 men shouting "Collaborator! Collaborator!", seized Irsheid as he was walking near a square in central Jenin.

The men beat the 47-year-old with sticks, rifles, fists and feet until he screamed in pain and bled from his face, neck and hands, the witnesses said.

The men then took him to the nearby Jenin refugee camp, a warren of alleys where they could hide.

"He [Irsheid] sent his men to shoot at members of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and tried to assassinate others," said local Brigades leader Zakariya Zubeidi.

He said this amounted to collaboration with Israel, and accused him of corruption. His group demanded Irsheid's resignation and said he should be tried in a Palestinian court.

But Zubeidi later announced his release, saying: "We released him because we received instructions from the President to do so. We do not question the President's instructions."

Witnesses said Irsheid, who has denied any wrongdoing, seemed to be in good condition but he went to hospital to be treated for bruises. He declined to talk to reporters.

Abbas meets his Israeli counterpart, Ariel Sharon, in Jerusalem today to forge ahead with the peace plan, days before both are due to make separate progress reports in Washington. President George W. Bush will receive Abbas on Friday and Sharon on July 29.

Abbas is under strong pressure from militants to achieve results. They have said they would give him three weeks to secure the release of substantial numbers of Palestinian prisoners.

Palestinians maintain Israel is holding 8000 prisoners in Israel, but Israel says there are some 6000.

Israel's Haaretz newspaper said Sharon was considering releasing 400.

- REUTERS