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Hamas arrests hundreds of Fatah supporters after rally
Associated Press
Published November 14, 2007
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Hamas took quick action Tuesday to shore up its control of the Gaza Strip, arresting hundreds of Fatah supporters and promising "additional steps" against its bitter rival one day after a huge Fatah rally ended in mayhem and violence. Hamas forces opened fire Monday as an estimated 250,000 Palestinians were beginning to leave a rally marking the third anniversary of the death of Fatah founder Yasser Arafat. Seven civilians were killed and 85 people wounded in the worst outbreak of violence between the two Palestinian factions since Hamas overran Gaza in June, expelling pro-Fatah forces. Fatah officials said Hamas forces arrested 450 people in the aftermath of the rally. Hamas said those arrested had incited violence at the rally. Gaza's Hamas government met Tuesday to discuss the violence, said Taher Nunu, a Hamas spokesman. "The government will reconsider its policy toward Fatah and will take additional steps to protect the political and national and media movements in the streets of Gaza," he said. He declined to elaborate, saying the government was still deciding what steps to take. But the threat appeared to signal tougher steps ahead. The huge numbers at the rally were interpreted as a vote of support for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Arafat's successor, as he prepares for a crucial U.S.-sponsored Mideast peace conference this month in Annapolis, Md. In Gaza on Tuesday, Fatah kept a low profile. A series of funerals for people killed at Monday's rally proceeded without violence, though mourners shouted anti-Hamas epithets at one of the funerals. Talks with Syria: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has sent messages to Syrian President Bashar Assad that he is interested in reopening peace talks and suggested Israel would return territory it captured 40 years ago, Israeli officials said Tuesday. Israel hopes a resumption of talks would moderate Syria and win it over in the regional effort to counter Iran's influence, a Foreign Ministry official said.
[Last modified November 14, 2007, 01:35:26]
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