Yousef Alhelou:
Hamas Leader says 'Collaborators' are Trying to Drag Palestinians into Civil War
The head of the Hamas bloc in the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), Dr. Khalil Al-Haiyeh, has threatened to strike with an iron fist against those people who are "involved in disseminating propaganda about the criminal acts which approach the Hamas symbols and leaders, and the ones who stand behind them".
Al-Haiyeh confirmed that Hamas disapproves of any referendum or early elections. He also said that Hamas will not permit a coup "against the will of the people, whatever the consequences might be."
In a festival commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Hamas movement in Gaza, Al-Haiyeh said: "We will not be dragged into civil war, which is what the collaborators are planning. This will not be at the expense of our leaders being targeted."
In the same regard, Al-Haiyeh accused President Abbas of killing the dialogue over a unity government by declaring that they reached an impasse.
Erekat calls for a fact-finding commission to be established to investigate the shooting at Rafah on Thursday
The head of the negotiations' department in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Dr Saeb Erekat, has denounced Hamas' accusations that Fatah leader Muhammad Dahlan was behind the shooting at the prime minister's convoy at the Rafah crossing on Thursday.
At a press conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Friday, Erekat declared that these accusations that Dahlan was responsible for the shooting, which resulted in the death of one of Haniyeh's attendants and the injury of his son, amount to deliberate sedition aimed at getting Dahlan murdered.
On Thursday, thousands of Hamas followers broke into the Rafah crossing after news spread that Israel had barred Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh from entering the Gaza Strip with the money he had raised during his tour abroad. The assailants destroyed all the computer sets and the cameras in the crossing and tried to break into the storehouses.
Referring to these armed Hamas supporters, Erekat asked in the press conference, "Who can justify the destruction of public property at the Rafah crossing and then direct accusations at Dahlan of plotting a murder indifferently?"
On Friday, Hamas officials held a press conference during which they accused Muhammad Dahlan, who they called the "chief of the rebels", of attempting to assassinate the prime minister by opening fire at his convoy as he was returning to the Gaza Strip on Thursday.
In this regard, Erekat called on the Palestinian president and prime minister to bring all those who participated in Friday's accusatory press conference to justice. Furthermore, he asked them to appoint a fact-finding committee to investigate what happened at the Rafah crossing, especially following the accusations by Hamas officials that the presidential guards took part in the shooting at the Rafah crossing.
Palestinian professor calls for dissolving all security forces except the police to end the chaos
A professor of political science at the Al-Najah National University, Dr Abdus-Sattar Qasim, on Saturday called for breaking up all the Palestinian security services and the Executive Force of the ministry of interior except the police as a solution to the current state of chaos in the Palestinian Territories.
Qasim also called for the substitution of the leaderships of the police department and declared illegal every weapon that appears publicly.
The initiative of Dr Qasim is as follows:
Weapons that appear publicly are betrayal because resistance weapons do not appear publicly.
Weapons that have been licensed by Israel are not national weapons and so should be eliminated.
All the Palestinian security services must be dissolved except the police department and including the Executive Force of the ministry of interior.
Jobs must be sought for the dissolved security forces members while keeping their current ranks.
All the leaders of the police department should be substituted with impartial leaders.
The police must take responsibility for internal security in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Each party or individual should have the right to have private guards even at individual level.
Factions must cooperate with the police in controlling their members.
National security will be responsible for the Palestinian factions who should arrange a joint operation to perform in secret away from political echelon.
A Palestinian charter should be composed in accordance with the will of the Palestinians.
Zahhar: Hamas rejects the president's call
The Palestinian minister of foreign affairs, Dr Mahmoud Zahhar, on Saturday affirmed Hamas' rejection of the call for early elections by President Mahmoud Abbas, which he portrayed as "the rejection of the democratic choice of the people".
Dr Zahhar said, "he who became tired can resign, but the budget can't afford new elections."
In an interview with Al-Jazeera satellite TV, Zahhar defended the way Hamas brings money into the Gaza Strip, as part of the government's efforts to pay the salaries of the public sector employees.
Zahhar also said that the president's discourse about an increase in death tolls "isn't accurate and should be discussed."
Many injured in Fatah-Hamas clashes in southern Gaza Strip
Over a dozen Palestinians were injured on Saturday in cross fire between Fatah and Hamas members in the southern Gaza Strip. The clashes broke out after thousands of supporters of both parties took to the streets, supporting and rejecting the president's decision to call for early elections.
Nine of the injuries occurred in Rafah, while a further six fell in Khan Younis. Both sides exchanged accusations over who started the shooting.
Palestinian factions in Damascus reject Abbas' call for early elections
Several Palestinian factions and leaders in Damascus have, on Saturday, rejected president Abbas' call for early presidential and Legislative Council elections.
A member of the political office of the PFLP, Mahir At-Tahir read a statement on behalf of the faction, which criticized the president's decision.
The factions all condemned the shooting at the Prime Minister on Thursday, and the murder of the Ba'lousha children. They also called for the establishment of an impartial fact-finding committee "to investigate these regrettable events".
The factions also stated that gunmen must be withdrawn from the streets, and the mutual sedition be stopped, so as to reach internal calm.
The head of the Hamas political office, Khalid Mash'al has confirmed the movement's rejection of early elections called by President Abbas. He declared, "We don't face this error singularly. We are speaking on behalf of ten factions, and so whoever wants to face any measure, let him choose that."
With regard to the attack against the Palestinian Prime Minister, the secretary general of the Islamic Jihad movement, Ramadan Shallah, said that "the state of chaos in the Palestinian arena is the responsibility of both Fatah and Hamas. We were hoping to listen to an address [which was] more responsible, and which is not taking the Palestinian arena towards the unknown."
Yousef Alhelou is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Gaza. He can be contacted on ydamadan@hotmail.com
Hamas Leader says 'Collaborators' are Trying to Drag Palestinians into Civil War
The head of the Hamas bloc in the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), Dr. Khalil Al-Haiyeh, has threatened to strike with an iron fist against those people who are "involved in disseminating propaganda about the criminal acts which approach the Hamas symbols and leaders, and the ones who stand behind them".
Al-Haiyeh confirmed that Hamas disapproves of any referendum or early elections. He also said that Hamas will not permit a coup "against the will of the people, whatever the consequences might be."
In a festival commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Hamas movement in Gaza, Al-Haiyeh said: "We will not be dragged into civil war, which is what the collaborators are planning. This will not be at the expense of our leaders being targeted."
In the same regard, Al-Haiyeh accused President Abbas of killing the dialogue over a unity government by declaring that they reached an impasse.
Erekat calls for a fact-finding commission to be established to investigate the shooting at Rafah on Thursday
The head of the negotiations' department in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Dr Saeb Erekat, has denounced Hamas' accusations that Fatah leader Muhammad Dahlan was behind the shooting at the prime minister's convoy at the Rafah crossing on Thursday.
At a press conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Friday, Erekat declared that these accusations that Dahlan was responsible for the shooting, which resulted in the death of one of Haniyeh's attendants and the injury of his son, amount to deliberate sedition aimed at getting Dahlan murdered.
On Thursday, thousands of Hamas followers broke into the Rafah crossing after news spread that Israel had barred Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh from entering the Gaza Strip with the money he had raised during his tour abroad. The assailants destroyed all the computer sets and the cameras in the crossing and tried to break into the storehouses.
Referring to these armed Hamas supporters, Erekat asked in the press conference, "Who can justify the destruction of public property at the Rafah crossing and then direct accusations at Dahlan of plotting a murder indifferently?"
On Friday, Hamas officials held a press conference during which they accused Muhammad Dahlan, who they called the "chief of the rebels", of attempting to assassinate the prime minister by opening fire at his convoy as he was returning to the Gaza Strip on Thursday.
In this regard, Erekat called on the Palestinian president and prime minister to bring all those who participated in Friday's accusatory press conference to justice. Furthermore, he asked them to appoint a fact-finding committee to investigate what happened at the Rafah crossing, especially following the accusations by Hamas officials that the presidential guards took part in the shooting at the Rafah crossing.
Palestinian professor calls for dissolving all security forces except the police to end the chaos
A professor of political science at the Al-Najah National University, Dr Abdus-Sattar Qasim, on Saturday called for breaking up all the Palestinian security services and the Executive Force of the ministry of interior except the police as a solution to the current state of chaos in the Palestinian Territories.
Qasim also called for the substitution of the leaderships of the police department and declared illegal every weapon that appears publicly.
The initiative of Dr Qasim is as follows:
Weapons that appear publicly are betrayal because resistance weapons do not appear publicly.
Weapons that have been licensed by Israel are not national weapons and so should be eliminated.
All the Palestinian security services must be dissolved except the police department and including the Executive Force of the ministry of interior.
Jobs must be sought for the dissolved security forces members while keeping their current ranks.
All the leaders of the police department should be substituted with impartial leaders.
The police must take responsibility for internal security in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Each party or individual should have the right to have private guards even at individual level.
Factions must cooperate with the police in controlling their members.
National security will be responsible for the Palestinian factions who should arrange a joint operation to perform in secret away from political echelon.
A Palestinian charter should be composed in accordance with the will of the Palestinians.
Zahhar: Hamas rejects the president's call
The Palestinian minister of foreign affairs, Dr Mahmoud Zahhar, on Saturday affirmed Hamas' rejection of the call for early elections by President Mahmoud Abbas, which he portrayed as "the rejection of the democratic choice of the people".
Dr Zahhar said, "he who became tired can resign, but the budget can't afford new elections."
In an interview with Al-Jazeera satellite TV, Zahhar defended the way Hamas brings money into the Gaza Strip, as part of the government's efforts to pay the salaries of the public sector employees.
Zahhar also said that the president's discourse about an increase in death tolls "isn't accurate and should be discussed."
Many injured in Fatah-Hamas clashes in southern Gaza Strip
Over a dozen Palestinians were injured on Saturday in cross fire between Fatah and Hamas members in the southern Gaza Strip. The clashes broke out after thousands of supporters of both parties took to the streets, supporting and rejecting the president's decision to call for early elections.
Nine of the injuries occurred in Rafah, while a further six fell in Khan Younis. Both sides exchanged accusations over who started the shooting.
Palestinian factions in Damascus reject Abbas' call for early elections
Several Palestinian factions and leaders in Damascus have, on Saturday, rejected president Abbas' call for early presidential and Legislative Council elections.
A member of the political office of the PFLP, Mahir At-Tahir read a statement on behalf of the faction, which criticized the president's decision.
The factions all condemned the shooting at the Prime Minister on Thursday, and the murder of the Ba'lousha children. They also called for the establishment of an impartial fact-finding committee "to investigate these regrettable events".
The factions also stated that gunmen must be withdrawn from the streets, and the mutual sedition be stopped, so as to reach internal calm.
The head of the Hamas political office, Khalid Mash'al has confirmed the movement's rejection of early elections called by President Abbas. He declared, "We don't face this error singularly. We are speaking on behalf of ten factions, and so whoever wants to face any measure, let him choose that."
With regard to the attack against the Palestinian Prime Minister, the secretary general of the Islamic Jihad movement, Ramadan Shallah, said that "the state of chaos in the Palestinian arena is the responsibility of both Fatah and Hamas. We were hoping to listen to an address [which was] more responsible, and which is not taking the Palestinian arena towards the unknown."
Yousef Alhelou is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Gaza. He can be contacted on ydamadan@hotmail.com