Tuesday, October 03, 2006

 

PHRMG denounces the Violent Clashes in the Palestinian Territory

 

Black Sunday, October 1^st saw the outbreak of bloody clashes, which lasted for 2 days, between the 2 factions, Fatah and Hamas, in which 14 Palestinians were killed and tens injured.

Clashes were sparked off when Hamas security forces tried to disperse Fatah-affiliated security forces that had been protesting in the Strip for the last week.

Intending to send a message that Hamas would no longer allow unruliness from the security forces in the Strip as part of their attempt to weaken the government, Palestinian Interior Minister, Sai’d Seyam, ordered the deployment of the Hamas executive security forces whereby a heavy exchange of fire ensued.

Seeking confrontation, Hamas forces also attacked the house of one of the Preventive Security officers.

In revenge several Hamas offices including the prime minister’s in Ramallah were assaulted by Fatah supporters.

Recognizing the harmful repercussions of his order to deploy Hamas security forces, Minister Sai’d Seyam called off the Hamas fighters, close to midnight Sunday.

Yesterday, in protest of the bloody incidents instigated by Hamas, a commercial strike was observed in the Strip and the West Bank effectively causing tensions to wane, Monday, especially in Gaza; though clashes resumed in the different cities of the West Bank: Bethlehem, Salfit, Jenin and Jericho where Fatah obviously enjoys a larger base and where some Hamas offices were attacked and set on fire.

In Jericho, in an attempt to close a restaurant, a stray bullet hit a waiter in the head killing him clinically.

In another incident in Nablus, angry Hamas fighters opened fire on the house of Al Jazeera and Reuters reporter, Hassan Titi in protest of his seemingly biased report on the clashes between Hamas and Fatah. 

President, Abbas, who was in Jordan, called on Fatah to call off strikes and demonstrations, and on Hamas fighters to return to their base.

Though both parties traded blames, they also confirmed their willingness to continue with the dialogue aiming at setting up a unity government, in an attempt to extricate the Palestinian people out of this impasse.

 

PHRMG vehemently condemns the bloody incidents in the Palestinian Territory and calls on the warring factions to exercise restraint and to resort to dialogue, as these bloody incidents serve no purpose except bringing the Palestinian people more harm and disintegration, at a time when unity is of the utmost urgency.