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Gaza: Fatah holds biggest rally since Hamas came to power
Hundreds of thousands of supporters of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction are holding celebrations in Gaza to mark its 48th anniversary.The rival Hamas movement, which governs Gaza, allowed Fatah to hold its first mass rally there since Hamas ousted Fatah's forces five years ago. Last month, supporters of Hamas celebrated their movement's founding with a rare rally in the West Bank. The moves are part of measures to heal a deep rift between the two sides. Hamas came to power in Gaza after winning Palestinian elections in 2006 and ousting Fatah from the coastal enclave in clashes the following year. In a pre-recorded message played on giant screens, President Abbas said: "Victory is near and we will meet you in Gaza in the near future," AFP news agency reported. "Gaza was the first Palestinian territory rid of [Israeli] occupation and settlement and we want a lifting of the blockade so that it can be free and linked to the rest of the nation," he said from his West Bank power-base. Sea of yellow Huge crowds, carrying the yellow flags of the Fatah movement and pictures of Mr Abbas, streamed into Gaza City, the climax to a week of smaller celebrations across the strip marking Fatah's first attack against Israel. Continue reading the main story Fatah officials said half a million supporters turned out. Hamas put the figure at 200,000. "The message today is that Fatah cannot be wiped out," Amal Hamad, a member of the group's ruling body, told Reuters news agency. "Fatah lives, no-one can exclude it and it seeks to end the division." Mr Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal signed a reconciliation deal in Cairo in 2011, but it has not been implemented. Posted by: tipper 2013-01-04 |
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