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Hamas tightens grip on Gaza
The violent Gaza confrontation between Hamas and Fatah that occurred after the July 25 explosion of a car carrying Hamas activists has brought about a significant strengthening of Hamas's control of the Strip and an almost total elimination of Fatah's presence there. After Hamas's June 2007 takeover of Gaza, the Islamic movement allowed Fatah to continue its local activities. Fatah leaders were able to travel between the West Bank and Gaza, officials working for PA President Mahmoud Abbas continued to operate in Gaza, and Fatah's organizational frameworks continued to function. Among the reasons for this were Hamas's reluctance to burn all its bridges with the PA, and the fact that Muhammad Dahlan's rivals within Fatah cooperated with Hamas in its takeover. The assassination of five senior members of its military wing presented Hamas with the opportunity to wipe out Fatah's presence in the Strip. It is safe to assume that Hamas decided on this objective long ago, because all attempts at dialogue with Fatah had failed. The PA under Abbas and in cooperation with Israel is engaged in an ongoing effort to destroy the Hamas infrastructure in the West bank, and Fatah operatives in the Strip continued to challenge Hamas, in part through firing rockets into Israel to demonstrate that Hamas control is weak. Posted by: Fred 2008-08-14 |
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