GAZA CITY, 8 January 2007 — The Palestinian group Fatah yesterday staged a massive show of strength here in its fight against the governing Hamas movement. Tens of thousands of Fatah supporters thronged the Al-Yarmouk Stadium to celebrate the 42nd anniversary of the group.
Fatah’s strongman in Gaza, Mohammed Dahlan, was given a hero’s welcome as he entered the stadium. As he began speaking he shooed away the security guards protecting him. “Let Hamas shoot me,” he said as the crowd erupted in applause. Fatah gunmen fired in the air during his speech.
The gathering was the largest Fatah demonstration in Gaza since 1994, when Yasser Arafat returned triumphantly to Gaza from exile in the framework of a partial peace deal with Israel.
The demonstration came as masked Fatah gunmen released a video of a kidnapped Hamas official, threatening to expand attacks against Hamas if it rejects calls to disband its militia in the Gaza Strip. The video, reminiscent of scenes in Iraq, marked a new tactic in the latest spate of Palestinian factional violence.
Although the demonstration marked the anniversary of Fatah, it was meant to send a clear message to Hamas, which has defiantly rejected Fatah’s calls to outlaw the Gaza militia. At the demonstration, a sea of yellow Fatah flags fluttered in the wind, and dozens of gunmen were among the crowd. Roads in southern Gaza were packed with motorists trying to reach the stadium.
In his speech, Dahlan derided the Hamas militia as “a gang,” and called Hamas’ deadly assault on the home of a Fatah security commander a turning point. “If they think the murderers will not be punished, they are mistaken,” said Dahlan, who wore a black and white headdress around his neck. “If they attacked one Fatah person, we’ll attack two more.”
Responding, Hamas lawmaker Salah Bardawil called Dahlan’s speech “defamation” that served the interests of Israel, not the Palestinian people. He said Hamas knew Fatah is well armed, but Hamas was “not afraid,” and he hoped the weapons would be used “against the occupation (Israel) and not against Hamas.”
Fatah and Hamas have been locked in a bloody struggle for control of the Palestinian government since Hamas won parliamentary elections last year. The victory ended four decades of Fatah political domination, though the group still controls the powerful Palestinian presidency.
In another development, kidnappers yesterday freed a photographer of Agence France-Presse after holding him captive for almost a week. Jaime Razuri, a native of Peru, was kidnapped outside the agency’s office in Gaza City last Monday.
Palestinian security officers brought Razuri to the office of President Mahmoud Abbas. “The good efforts by all parties have succeeded in returning the Peruvian journalist,” said senior Abbas aide Tayeb Abdel-Rahim. “He is now free. The security services will continue their work to get to the captors.” No one claimed responsibility for his abduction.
— Additional input from agencies
