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Met Abbas over prison death: Hamas leader
 RAMALLAH, West Bank - A senior Hamas leader in the West Bank said on Sunday he met ineffectual president Mahmud Abbas after an imam who was in the Islamist movement died while in the custody of Palestinian security forces.
Nassereddin Al Shaer, who served as deputy prime minister under dismissed Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniya, told AFP that he and Ali Al Sartawi, another senior Hamas leader, met Abbas on Saturday for private talks. Shaer declined to give any details about what was discussed at the meeting which came after Majed Al Barghuti, a Hamas imam, died in police custody on Friday in Ramallah.
| Kinda hard to blame that one on the Jooooz, huh ... |
Hamas has accused Palestinian security forces of torturing the 42-year-old to death in prison and said Abbass government in the Israel-occupied West Bank bears full responsibility for the murder of the martyr.
There was no immediate comment from Abbass office.
| "Go away. Leave us alone." |
Abbas has meanwhile ordered his forces to investigate Barghutis death, which security officials initially said was caused by a heart attack.
"Heart stopped, right?"
"Yup."
"That's what killed him, right?"
"Last thing that happened."
"You'll sign it out that way, right?"
"Of course, effendi." |
The incident aggravated already bitter divisions between Abbass Palestinian Authority and the Islamist Hamas movement, which ousted Abbass forces from the Gaza Strip last June after a week of deadly clashes.
| Aggravated? Is that possible? |
Posted by: Steve White 2008-02-25 |
