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Mohammed Dahlan
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Hamas arrests Fatah officials in Gaza

Islamist group's security forces in Strip detain several prominent Fatah officials prevented from attending West Bank congress, warns then against any involvement in meetings

Hamas Police in the Gaza Strip arrested several Fatah officials, Fatah sources said Friday.

 

Fatah has been holding a congress in the West Bank city of Bethlehem for the past few days and the delegates are expected to vote on the movement's various institutions later Saturday.

 

According to the sources, Hamas security forces detained Ibrahim Abu al-Naja, Zakaria al-Ara and Abdullah Abu Samhadana – all prominent members of Fatah – and warned them against any involvement in the congress. They were questioned and later released.

 

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Hamas authorities in Gaza have prevented a number of Fatah officials from leaving the Strip in favor of the West Bank meetings.

 

It is still unclear whether the Fatah delegates gathered in Bethlehem will vote on the movement's central committee and revolutionary council during Saturday's sessions. While both candidate lists have been finalized, the congress has yet to decide what to do about the fact the votes of Fatah members unable to leave Gaza. Should the congress decide to include their votes, they would be asked to enter it by phone.

 

The Fatah congress' main focus in Friday was the situation in Gaza. The day's key speaker was Mohammed Dahlan, who until 2002 was head of the Preventive Security in Gaza. Dahlan criticized Fatah's top echelon, claiming its helplessness was to blame for the movement loosing Gaza Strip to Hamas.

 

Dahlan rebuffed some of the delegates' allegations, suggesting he was partially responsible for Fatah's downfall in Gaza, reminding them hat the leadership repeatedly rejected his pleas to arrive in Gaza, in a show of leadership prior to Hamas takeover.

 

The former security chief also reminded the delegates that he was not in the Strip during the riots which led to the change in regime. Dahlan went on to slam the movement's committee on inquiry into June 2007's events in the strip, saying it chose to find top officials blameless.

 

Officially, the Fatah congress is expected to end Saturday evening, since the majority of travel permits issued by Israel are due to expire. Nevertheless, Fatah sources said that the congress refuses to yield to any time constraints and that the congress will end only after all the matters at hand are addressed.

 

News agencies contributed to this report 

 


פרסום ראשון: 08.08.09, 08:44
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