Hamas-Fatah rivalry turns deadly in Gaza

After an unexpected show of strength at a rally on Monday by supporters of the Palestinian Fatah movement in the Gaza Strip, rival Hamas forces – which control the area – moved quickly to arrest hundreds of Fatah activists, increasing the likelihood of more conflict in the territories.

The Palestinian split into two camps, a Fatah willing to compromise with Israel and a Hamas still insistent on refusing to recognize the right of the Jewish state to exist, and the newly heightened tensions between the camps have further clouded the outlook for peace.

The Associated Press reports on the widening divide between Fatah and Hamas, including David and Goliath scenes between the two groups reminiscent of Israel's past confrontations with unarmed Palestinians.

Hamas security forces moved swiftly against their Fatah rivals in the aftermath of a mass Fatah rally that ended with seven people dead, rounding up 400 people in an overnight crackdown, Fatah officials said Tuesday.

Monday's rally, a memorial service for the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, drew 250,000 people, making it Fatah's biggest show of force in Gaza since Hamas took control of the coastal territory in June.

The Fatah supporters pelted Hamas troops with stones, surging forward even as they were met by heavy bursts of gunfire. One Hamas policeman dropped to one knee for better aim. At one point, a young stone thrower collapsed and was carried off by others.

The internecine violence points to grim prospects for peace talks the US is expecting to sponsor between Fatah and Israel before the end of the year, something that Israeli officials emphasized on Tuesday, Agence France-Presse reports.

A senior Israeli official said the meeting, due to take place in Annapolis, Maryland, may only last a single day and not involve any real negotiations on ending the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

[Israeli Defense Minister Ehud] Barak also suggested that there could be no progress while the Islamists of Hamas control the Gaza Strip and until the Palestinians recognize the "Jewish character" of Israel.

Israel's Jerusalem Post reports that Fatah members are describing the events at the Gaza rally as a public relations coup for their group.

Undoubtedly, the clashes are seen as a PR disaster for Hamas, which is now being accused by some Palestinians of suppressing a "peaceful" rally in honor of Arafat. Scenes of Hamas militiamen opening fire at Fatah supporters and beating them on the streets of Gaza City are likely to alienate many Palestinians.

In the past few days, Fatah has exploited ceremonies to commemorate Arafat to wage a campaign against Hamas. At speeches in Ramallah and Gaza City, Fatah representatives and leaders declared that the countdown for Hamas's "coup" in the Gaza Strip had begun.

The proposed peace conference in Annapolis has only escalated tensions between Fatah and Hamas, whose leaders have stepped up their attacks on [Palestinian President and Fatah leader Mahmoud] Abbas, warning him against making concessions to Israel at the parley.

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