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PA says it foiled Hamas cells plot to scupper talks
[Beirut Daily Star: Region] The Palestinian Authority (PA) said on Monday that it dismantled a Hamas cell that was planning attacks against Palestinian leaders and public buildings in the Occupied West Bank.PA secretary general Tayeb Abdel-Rahim claimed that the plotters had hoped to torpedo reconciliation talks between Fatah, the party of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and Hamas, the Islamist rulers of the Gaza Strip. Egyptian mediators hope to persuade the two rival factions to sign a national unity agreement on July 7. Abdel-Rahim said the members of the cell had been arrested over the past days, without specifying how many arrests had been made. "Interrogation revealed that the leadership in Gaza of Hamas and [its armed wing] told them to carry out terrorist attacks on personalities and institutions of the PA," Abdel-Rahim said at a news conference. "They admitted that their leaders asked them to commit those attempts on July 7, date of the signing of the reconciliation accord we are determined to reach," he added "We are now convinced [Hamas] doesn't want to reach an accord in Cairo," he said. Fatah also accused Hamas of arresting dozens of Fatah activists in the Gaza Strip Monday. A Hamas spokesman said there had been no arrests and accused Fatah of distortion aimed at undermining the talks. Arrests and counter arrests by forces loyal to the two groups have hampered efforts to restore political unity and boost prospects for a resumption of peace-making with Israel. Senior Fatah lawmaker Ashraf Gomaa told Reuters by telephone from Gaza that at least 90 of those arrested on Monday had been identified, but that the Hamas sweeps were continuing. "We urge the Egyptian leadership to take a stronger position towards these actions by Hamas, which create doubt among our people over the importance of, and the need for, these continued talks in Cairo," Gomaa said. "These Fatah positions have only one aim, which is Fatah's desire to foil the dialogue," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters by phone from the Gaza Strip. Posted by: Fred 2009-06-30 |
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