Special report: Palestine-Israel Relations    

    RAMALLAH, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Islamic Hamas movement denounced on Monday that 21 Hamas members have been arrested by the security forces of President Mahmoud Abbas in different West Bank areas.

    "The security forces of the interior ministry in the caretaker government of Salam Fayyad has escalated its actions and detained 21 people allover the West Bank," said a Hamas leaflet sent to reporters.

    According to the leaflet, the arrests took place in the towns of Nablus, Jenin, Hebron and Bethlehem.

    Hamas called on Abbas of Fatah movement and his Palestinian National Authority (PNA) to immediately stop arrests against Hamas members.

    After Hamas took control of Gaza in June last year and routed President Abbas security forces, the PNA has tightened its measures against Hamas in fear of repeating the same takeover.

    So far, efforts exerted by different parties and countries to reconcile rival Fatah and Hamas movements had failed.