A Day of Israeli-Palestinian Violence; Civil Disorder in Nablus:
"In Nablus, on the West Bank, the long-serving mayor, Ghassan W. Shakah, abruptly announced his resignation in protest against what he said was Palestinian leaders' failure to stop his city's slide into chaos.

In Nablus, the Palestinians' commercial center and home of their stock exchange, armed men presenting themselves as freedom fighters are establishing control as the governing Palestinian Authority crumbles. They have taken to seizing hostages for ransom and extorting money from local businessmen.

Last fall, gunmen killed the brother of Mr. Shakah, who once said in an interview that he had dreamed, before this conflict began more than three years ago, that his city would rank with Paris, London, or Washington. Nablus is ancient, built by Romans near the remains of a Canaanite city."

"I see my city collapsing, and I don't want to stand idly by and watch this collapse," Mr. Shakah told The Associated Press on Friday. He was also quoted as referring to the Israelis, saying, "I don't deny the role of the occupation in destroying the city through the frequent invasions, but we as an Authority and as citizens are doing nothing to protect the city."

For most of the last two years, Israeli forces have prevented armed, uniformed Palestinian policemen from working in cities like Nablus, saying they often proved to be terrorists.

Mr. Shakah is a senior member of Yasir Arafat's Fatah movement and has been a close ally of Mr. Arafat in the past. He said he would remain in his job until May 1 to finish several projects, including a shopping mall.…

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/28/international/middleeast/28MIDE.html