Fatah asks Hamas for meeting on national reconciliation as its militias kidnap elected mayor of Beit Ummar and Hamas supporters in WB

Fatah asks Hamas for meeting on national reconciliation in Damascus

[ 18/12/2010 - 10:27 AM ]

RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- Informed Palestinian sources said that the leadership of Fatah faction made a request lately for a meeting with Hamas Movement in Damascus later this month to resume reconciliation talks.

The sources, on condition of anonymity, told the Palestinian information center (PIC), that this request came in the wake of a stormy session held by the revolutionary council of Fatah, where there was a strong argument between two trends, one called for resuming talks with Hamas and the other was opposing that.

After the session, Fatah officials agreed on contacting Hamas leadership to inform it their movement was ready for the Damascus meeting to be held at the end of this month. Hamas is now mulling over a date for the meeting, according to the sources.

In another context, the same sources told the PIC that Fatah delegated its intelligence director Majed Faraj to Damascus to meet with his Syrian counterpart Ali Al-Mamlouk in order to reduce the tension with Syria.

The sources added that the Syrian foreign ministry is studying a request made by de facto president Mahmoud Abbas to meet with Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad.
In this regard, senior Hamas official Salah Al-Bardawil said that Egypt's reconciliation paper is still the focus of efforts to end the inter-Palestinian division, but he stressed that Cairo should pressure Fatah in order to reach an agreement in this regard.

Bardawil added that Cairo pressured Hamas more than once to force it to accept a reconciliation agreement, but without making any pressures on Fatah which still arrests and tortures Hamas cadres including women in its jails.

The Hamas leader also called on Egypt in another context to develop an Arab strategy able to confront Israel's intransigent attitude and the American bias against Arabs.

For his part, senior Hamas official and lawmaker Ismail Al-Ashqar told Palestine newspaper that his Movement would not close the door of dialog with Fatah, even if the next meeting in Damascus failed.

Ashqar, who headed a delegation from Gaza during the last meeting with Fatah, stressed that Fatah should adopt a national position promoting the political and security partnership, and the peaceful transfer of power if it wants Hamas to sign Egypt's reconciliation paper.

PA militias kidnap 18 Palestinians from Hamas in West Bank

[ 18/12/2010 - 02:12 PM ]

WEST BANK, (PIC)-- The Palestinian Authority's security militias kidnapped during its latest arrest campaigns 18 Palestinian citizens affiliated with Hamas Movement in different West Bank areas, according to local sources on Saturday.

The arrest raids took place in the cities of Nablus, Salfit, Qalqiliya, Al-Khalil, Bethlehem, Jenin, Tulkarem, and Tubas. Most of the citizens kidnapped during these raids were ex-detainees either in PA or Israeli jails.

Among the detainees in Al-Khalil were two mosque imams called Mahmoud Al-Rajoub and Amin Al-Rajoub.

In Nablus, a family reported that it received a phone call from the Israeli administration of Etzion prison telling it that its son Jaafar Dababsa is imprisoned in this jail, but later it found out that its son is detained by the PA intelligence in Juneid prison.

Two twin brothers, who are high school students, were also kidnapped by the militias from their home in the Nablus village of Tal.

10 Palestinian citizens from Qalqiliya were severely beaten in the courtyard of Immatin village's council at midnight after they were kidnapped from their homes by PA militias on charges of raising and possessing Hamas flags.

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