Force 17 shuts down ministries of Agriculture and Transportation

December 17, 2007

Gaza – Ma'an – Force 17(1), the Palestinian Presidential Guard broke into and forcibly entered the ministries of Agriculture and Transportation in the city of Gaza, early on Sunday morning.

The Force asked all employees in the two ministries to leave their offices, before they closed the two ministries and stationed themselves on the roofs of the ministry buildings.

It is known that the two ministries are located near the presidential residence in Gaza, and it is believed that this step follows the wide-spread tension in the Gaza Strip recently.

(1)Force 17 is an elite VIP protection unit of the Palestinian Fatah movement and later of the Office of the Chairman of the Palestinian Authority, namely Mahmoud Abbas.