Fatah holds Gaza rally amid Hamas tensions
Source: Reuters
(Adds Hamas comment, paragraphs 8-9) By Nidal al-Mughrabi GAZA, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of supporters of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah rallied in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, putting on a show of force in the stronghold of the governing Hamas Islamist movement. The two factions have been locked in a violent power struggle that some Palestinians fear could spark civil war. The internal unrest has worsened since Abbas called last month for early elections to break a political deadlock with Hamas. "We do not want a civil war and we reject civil war. But I tell you that our blood is not an open target for anyone," senior Abbas aide Tayeb Abdel-Rahim said in a speech on behalf of the president, a moderate. The rally in Gaza's main stadium was called to mark the 42nd anniversary of the once dominant Fatah movement, which suffered a surprise loss to Hamas in parliamentary elections a year ago. Witnesses put the crowd at tens of thousands and said it was one of the biggest Fatah rallies in Gaza in years. It comes a day after Abbas declared illegal a Hamas security force in Gaza. That drew a sharp response from the Islamists and a vow by its Executive Force to double its size to 12,000. Fatah strongman and former security chief Mohammad Dahlan taunted Hamas during a speech, telling bodyguards to move away. "I need no one ... let Hamas shoot me," Dahlan said, as Fatah gunmen in the crowd fired automatic rifles into the air. "If a Fatah man is attacked, we will respond. Their leaders will be wrong to think they are far from the reach of our hands." Senior Hamas lawmaker Mushir al-Masri accused Dahlan of inciting violence. "It was a call for internal fighting and sedition," he said. BATTLE WITH ISRAEL The secular-nationalist Fatah, co-founded by the late Yasser Arafat, has for decades been seen as a leading force for Palestinian statehood. While analysts say Fatah has done too little to improve its standing or unite after being routed by Hamas in the 2006 elections, officials at the rally suggested the conflict with Hamas had helped restore some solidarity. Fatah might get another chance after Abbas called for new parliamentary and presidential elections after factional talks to form a Palestinian unity government failed. Abdel-Rahim said Palestinians should focus their battle on Israel, not fight each other. "Our differences must remain with the occupation, which is bulldozing our land and killing our people," he said. Hamas created its Executive Force after forming a government last March and had defied a previous order by Abbas to integrate personnel into other security services. At a news conference, Hamas armed wing spokesman Abu Ubaida warned against any attempt to weaken the force. "Those who receive arms from the Americans are the ones who are responsible for the bloodshed," Abu Ubaida said. Western governments want Abbas to triumph over Hamas, which the United States and Israel regard as a terrorist group. The Bush administration will provide $86 million to strengthen security forces loyal to Abbas, according to documents seen by Reuters on Friday.
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