The Hamas-dominated government in Gaza denounce on Monday the arrest campaigns, being launched by the Abbas-led Palestinian Authority in the West Bank against Hamas supporters over there.
Taher Alnouno, spokesman of the government, said in a press statement, emailed to the IMEMC, that ‘ such arrests are intended at cracking down on those who are stead fastening in the face of ‘subjugating’ agreements with the Israeli side’.
He added ‘ these practices make clear that the calls for national dialogue, the Palestinian president has launched recently, are meant to blackout conspiracies against the people’s will and deceive the Palestinian masses’.
Alnuno demanded the Palestinian factions to stand firm against the Ramallah government actions that are aimed at ‘sabotaging the social Palestinian structure’.
This statement followed a call for national dialogue, President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah, kicked off from Cairo yesterday in an apparent effort to contain the tense situation following a car blast in Gaza city last Friday, which claimed the lives of six people including three Hamas fighters.
The Hamas-dominated interior ministry carried out large-scale arrests among Fatah supporters in Gaza and ordered closure of many Fatah-affiliated local NGOs.
In the meantime, the Fatah-led forces in the West Bank stepped up actions against Hamas supporters over there.
Latest developments came on the sideline of a stalled dialogue between Hamas and Fatah, since the two parties engaged in a fighting last year, ending with Hamas’ takeover of Gaza and formation of a Fatah-loyal caretaker government in Ramallah.
Since mounting to power after January 2006’s parliamentary elections, the Islamist Hamas party has been boycotted by international players, until it recognizes Israel and accepts past signed peace agreements between Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel.
