GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) – Thousands of Palestinian police officers joined a protest over unpaid wages Thursday, firing in the air and smashing windows. It was the most violent demonstration yet against the Hamas-led government.

The unrest came as the Islamic militant Hamas debated whether to agree to the idea of a Palestinian state next to Israel, including implicit recognition of the Jewish state, or face a national referendum. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has given Hamas until the middle of next week to decide.

Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar, a Hamas hard-liner, said during a visit to China Thursday that he opposes the 2002 Arab peace initiative, which calls for a two-state solution to the Mideast conflict. However, other Hamas politicians, particularly in the West Bank, have signaled willingness to go along with Abbas.

A new survey indicated the vast majority of Palestinians side with Abbas. The Near East Consulting Agency found that 89 percent of Palestinians support a two-state solution. The agency interviewed 511 people and the survey had a margin of error of 4.3 percentage points.

Hamas was founded two decades ago with the goal of destroying Israel and establishing an Islamic state in its place.

Since taking office in March, Hamas has been unable to pay some 165,000 civil servants because of international funding cuts over its refusal to renounce violence and recognize Israel.

Among those not being paid are tens of thousands of members of the security forces, many loyal to Abbas and his Fatah movement.

Finance Minister Omar Abdel Razek said Wednesday the government has raised enough money to pay only 40,000 low-wage workers, leaving more than 100,000 workers, including many security officers, without salaries for a third straight month.

About 3,000 police demonstrated Thursday outside the parliament building in Gaza.

“We came to voice our anger, our protest and to send a message,” said Nidal Rajab, a 29-year-old officer and father of three. “The government is using its hand to stab us in the back.”

Banners saying “90 days without salaries is more than enough” were posted on the parliament building. A group of recruits went on a brief rampage, smashing windows and climbing on the roof of the building before security forces pushed them away.

Several stray bullets fired by the protesters smashed two windows in the Gaza City office of The Associated Press, narrowly missing an AP photographer and damaging an air conditioner.

Participants also called on Hamas to disband a private militia it recently deployed in Gaza’s streets. Hamas says the militia was needed to end the chaos and violence there.

Later Thursday, a major in the Preventive Security Service was killed in a shooting attack on his car near Gaza City’s Shati refugee camp. A spokesman for Preventive Security blamed Hamas, which denied involvement. Rashid Abu Shbak, Abbas’ top security official in Gaza, later said it was premature to affix blame.

Near the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis, Preventive Security said three of its agents traveling in a van were shot and wounded by Hamas gunmen. Hamas said its gunmen had come under fire first, and were acting in self-defense.

In the West Bank town of Jenin, the two-state idea won an unexpected endorsement from members of the violent Islamic Jihad group. Political leaders of Islamic Jihad have rejected Abbas’ proposal, but a group of Jenin gunmen said at a news conference that they back the idea.

Abbas hopes to restart peace talks with Israel. But Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says that is unlikely until Hamas becomes more moderate.

If peace efforts remain stalled, Olmert plans a unilateral pullback from much of the West Bank. Under the plan, Israel would keep major settlement blocs, falling short of Palestinian claims to all of the West Bank.

In an interview published Thursday, Olmert said the withdrawal would be carried out in one phase, rejecting calls to do it gradually. The plan is expected to uproot some 70,000 Jewish settlers from their homes.

“This process will be difficult and painful even if we do it in the smoothest way,” Olmert told the Yediot Ahronot daily. “I think that breaking it into phases will shock the public and thus I oppose this.”

Olmert also said he would meet Abbas at the end of June and explore whether it is possible to resume peace talks.

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