by Saud Abu Ramadan

    GAZA, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian rival Fatah and Hamas leaders on Sunday voiced doubts that a reconciliation deal would be signed in Cairo on July 28, as Palestinian security officials in the West Bank accused Hamas of planning to carry out violent actions aimed at creating a status of instability in the territory.

    A senior Fatah movement official warned that if rival parties fail to reach an inter-reconciliation deal sponsored by Egypt soon, this will make the date for holding general elections in the Palestinian territories on Jan. 25 uncertain.

    Zakareya el-Agha, told the Ramallah-based al-Ayyam daily that if the Palestinian factions fail to sign an agreement in Cairo on July 28, "this would make it impossible to hold the Palestinian elections on time."

    El-Agha's concerns came as President Mahmoud Abbas' security forces unveiled that it arrested several Hamas cells in the West Bank with millions of U.S. dollars, as well as weapons, explosives and bombs in the cities of Nablus, Hebron and Qalqilya.

    Palestinian National Authority (PNA) security forces spokesman Adnan al-Dumiri told Xinhua that since March, his security had seized 8.5 million dollars, as well as explosives, weapons and plans indicating that Hamas plans to seize control of the West Bank.

    But a senior Hamas official on Sunday denied the claim that the money were planned to be used in establishing a security apparatus for the movement.

    Ayman Taha, a Hamas leader in Gaza, said in a statement that Abbas security forces' claim "is a poor attempt to uproot Hamas movement in the West Bank and dismantle the inter-reconciliation dialogue."

    "The money al-Dumiri is talking about, which was confiscated, belongs to charity organizations that serve the families of the prisoners and the children of the martyrs," said Taha.

    He added that "the money doesn't belong to Hamas and was not sent to boost Hamas in the West Bank. It belongs to orphans and children whose fathers are held in Israeli occupation jails."

    Rival Fatah and Hamas groups have agreed in principle to go for presidential and legislative elections on Jan. 25 next year, but still disagree on the substantial issues related to security, elections' system and the alternative joint factional committee.

    On June 28, leaders of the two groups failed to draft a deal, which brokering Egypt demanded to be signed on July 7. Egypt told the two sides they should be back to Cairo on July 25 for a last round of dialogue and that the deal will be signed on July 28.

    "I hope that we can overcome all our disputes in the coming round of dialogue due in Cairo on July 25, and I hope that we will finally be able to sign an agreement in Cairo on July 28," said el-Agha.

    However, he added that the disagreed issues "are still the same, although we witnessed some slight progress in the last round of dialogue. But this progress was not enough to sign a deal due to the continuation of political arrests."

    But Palestinian sources close to Abbas revealed earlier that Abbas might ask Egypt to postpone signing a reconciliation agreement on July 28, which will be one week before holding Fatah movement's sixth general assembly.

    Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in mid June 2007 and routed western-backed Abbas security forces. Abbas is afraid that Hamas has plans to seize control of the West Bank in the future.

    Since Hamas took over the enclave, Abbas' security forces have been cracking down on Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants in the West Bank.

    "There are around 900 Hamas members in Abbas jails. The arrests haven't stopped, which would have negative impact on the atmosphere of succeeding an inter-dialogue aims at ending the current political rift," said Taha.

    He denied Hamas has plans to seize control of the West Bank, although several leaders had repeatedly announced that as long as Abbas continues cracking down on the movement, one day the West Bank will be seized.

    Talal Oukal, a political analyst at Gaza al-Azhar University said he believes that "the two rivals are trading accusations because each side wants to exert more pressure on the other before they sign on the reconciliation agreement."

    Hamas says it arrested people from Fatah who wants to create a status of instability and chaos in Gaza, while Fatah says its security forces arrested Hamas militants who were planning to seize control of the West Bank.

    "All is part of a mutual war of incitement. If they continue doing this, I believe that this would manifest and reinforce the current political rift that would lead to a complete isolation of the West Bank from the Gaza Strip," said Oukal.

Special Report: Palestine-Israel Conflicts