Huge Fatah anniversary party in Gaza
A long hiatus in peace talks between Abbas's administration and Israel has narrowed ideological differences between the two main Palestinian factions. Solidarity has deepened since Israel's Gaza assault in November, in which Hamas, though battered, declared victory.
Abbas remains based in West Bank, but several of his senior advisers attended Friday's march in the Gaza Strip, festooned with yellow Fatah flags rather than the green Hamas colors that have dominated such events since Hamas fighters drove Fatah from the territory in 2007.
"The message today is that Fatah cannot be wiped out," said Amal Hamad, a member of the group's ruling body. "Fatah lives, no one can exclude it and it seeks to end the division."
The demonstration marked 48 years since the secular Fatah's founding as the spearhead of the Palestinians' fight against Israel. Its longtime leader Yasser Arafat signed an interim 1993 peace accord that won Palestinians a measure of self-rule.
The hardline Hamas movement, which does not recognize Israel's right to exist, rejected the deal, but fought and won a Palestinian parliamentary election in 2006. It formed an uneasy coalition with Fatah until their violent split a year later.A report from Gaza indicates that the rally is currently being disrupted by supporters of Mohammed Dahlan, Fatah's former strongman in Gaza and a rival of Abu Mazen.
A Fatah-Hamas reconciliation would probably be the final straw in the 'peace process.'
Shabbat Shalom everyone.
Labels: Abu Mazen, Fatah, Gaza, Hamas-Fatah reconciliation, Mohamed Dahlan
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 4:14 PM
1 Comments:
Of interest is the question what exactly is the anniversary that Fatah is celebrating.
Caroline Glick has an interesting suggestion.
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