
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, September 23, 1993                   TAG: 9309230189
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: The New York Times
DATELINE: GAZA                                LENGTH: Medium

LAWYER'S KILLING RAISES FEARS OF FEUD

Shrouded in a Palestinian flag, carried on a sea of chanting mourners, Muhammed Abu Shaaban was buried Wednesday like hundreds of other "martyrs" of the 6-year-old uprising against Israel.

But Abu Shaaban, a lawyer and a local leader of the mainstream Al Fatah movement in the PLO, had not been killed by Israeli troops. He was shot Tuesday evening by gunmen believed to have been his rivals in a power struggle within the local Fatah organization.

The assassination, eight days after the PLO signed an accord with Israel on self-rule in the occupied territories, has raised fears of violent feuds as Palestinians move to govern themselves.

The shooting alarmed senior PLO officials, who reacted Wednesday with a chorus of condemnation. The PLO chairman, Yasser Arafat, appealed to Palestinians "to reject violence and terrorism." Graffiti in Gaza signed by Al Fatah denounced the killing and warned against civil strife.

Even the militant Islamic movement Hamas, a rival of the PLO and an opponent of the accord with Israel, issued a leaflet condemning political assassination and urging "democratic dialogue."

Although opponents and supporters of the self-rule accord insist that they will not use violence, and have agreed not to disrupt each other's demonstrations, their debate remains sharp nonetheless across the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in leaflets, newspapers, graffiti and street rallies.

Supporters of the agreement are led by Al Fatah, with backing from two other PLO factions, the Palestinian Democratic Union and the Palestinian People's Party. They say the accord lays the foundation for a future Palestinian state and assures later discussion of such thorny issues as Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees and Jewish settlements.

The most vehement rejection comes from Hamas and another militant group, Islamic Holy War. They have been joined by followers of two leftist PLO factions: the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

by CNB