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GAZA, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Fresh violence between Hamas
and Fatah supporters left one Jordanian citizen dead and nine Palestinians
wounded in Gaza City on Monday, casting a shadow over a coming Palestinian
national dialogue aimed to tackle thorny internal issues and external pressure.
Fierce clashes between members of a new Hamas-led
security force and police loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement
erupted on Monday afternoon near the Palestinian parliament building in Gaza
City.
A 40-year-old Jordanian citizen, working at the
Jordanian diplomatic mission in Gaza City, was killed and nine Palestinians were
wounded in the gun battle, peppered with heavy weapons and loud explosions.
Hamas sources said that the Preventive Security
Forces, loyal to Fatah, opened fired at the newly-established security force
under the control of the Hamas-led government, which were deployed in the Gaza
streets last week.
There was no immediate word from the Fatah movement
concerning the incident.
It is the latest violent confrontation between Hamas
and Fatah loyalists since tensions were raised between the two sides over
security control with several people killed and dozens wounded in clashes.
On May 17, Interior Minister and senior Hamas member
Siam ordered the deployment of the 3,000-strong security force in the Gaza Strip
although Abbas vetoed the formation of the force, terming it illegal.
Abbas' Fatah movement, once dominant on the
Palestinian political stage, was defeated by Hamas in the January legislative
polls. But most of the security forces are Fatah supporters and Abbas has
appointed a close ally to head the security forces.
Monday's incident came after Palestinian security
forces said on Sunday that they foiled an assassination attempt on Rashid Abu
Shbak, a senior security official and Abbas' confident.
On Saturday, two people were killed and 10 others
including intelligence chief Tareq Abu Rajab, another Abbas' ally, were injured
in a blast that rocked the Palestinian security headquarters in the Gaza Strip.
Continuous violence has dimmed the prospects of an
upcoming Palestinian national dialogue scheduled to kick off on Thursday.
The two-day talks, expected to group together all
Palestinian factions including Hamas and Fatah, are designed to deal with
pressing issues including a deepening financial crisis, the West-led political
isolation against the Hamas government and internal violence.
Winning the January elections by a landslide, Hamas,
or the Islamic Resistance Movement, took the reins of the Palestinian government
in late March.
The Hamas-led government has been unable to pay over
160,000 government employees since March with an empty coffer and reluctance of
banks to transfer aid donated by Arab and Muslim countries.
The United States and the European Union have cut off
direct aid to the Palestinians since Hamas refuses to renounce violence,
recognize Israel's right to exist and honor previous Palestinian-Israeli
agreements.
Israel has also halted the monthly transfer of about
55 million U.S. dollars of tax revenues it collects on behalf of the
Palestinians since Hamas' election victory.
The aid cut has led to a grave financial crisis and
some Palestinian officials have warned of a looming humanitarian disaster.
Although the EU and the U.S. are considering a new
mechanism to give some humanitarian aid to the Palestinians, it is expected that
the Hamas government will be bypassed. Enditem |