Security forces in Gaza yesterday demolished three unfinished beachfront houses built illegally by senior Palestinian officers as part of a new drive by President Mahmoud Abbas to end lawlessness. Since succeeding the late Yasser Arafat in January, Abbas has been under pressure to end growing chaos in the Gaza Strip and West Bank as well as to root out corruption among top officials and security officers.

A spokesman for new Interior Minister Nasser Youssef described the building of the homes that were bulldozed as an ?assault on public property?. ?The violators were informed of the decision and were given notice before the order was carried out,? said Tawfiq Abu Khoussa. Illegal construction is widespread in the Gaza Strip. Last month, the office that assigns building plots shut its doors in protest at intimidation by senior commanders demanding that they be given public land.

The question of who gets land in the Gaza Strip is likely to loom large when Israel withdraws from Jewish settlement blocs this summer. Abbas has promised that there will be an orderly transfer. The new push to enforce order is also aimed at ensuring militants respect a truce with Israel that Abbas agreed in February. House demolitions can be an emotive issue in Palestinian territories, where Israeli troops have demolished thousands of buildings, including homes, during raids to battle militants in an uprising that broke out in 2000.