The divisions in Fatah have gone beyond boiling point. The splits that emerged around the preparations for the Sixth Fatah Conference were reported on in May and the statement by 82 senior Fatah members issued in the same month accusing Abbas of attempting a coup. It was followed by the news this Wednesday that Al Jazeera was to be banned from the West Bank. Banning Al Jaazera is not going to help Abbas. And the accusation against Abbas amounts to the highest form of treason against the Palestinian people as embodied in President Yasser Arafat.
No wonder Russian deputy foreign minister Alexander Saltanov sought out Hamas leader Mishaal (pictured above) to discuss latest political developments, as Fatah implodes...
"The Palestinian Authority has stated its decisions are in response to Al Jazeera reporting the accusations made by secretary-general of the Fatah movement Mr Farouk Kaddoumi against the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and his adviser Mohammed Dahlan.
"Mr Kaddoumi accused both leaders of being aware of an Israeli conspiracy to kill the late president Yasser Arafat.
Al Jaazera
PIC reports that Abbas has wanted to shutdown the TV channel's operations ever since the Gaza war in it which it considered Al Jaazera to be biased in favour of Hamas.
Meanwhile, a well informed Palestinian source, who preferred to remain anonymous, told Al-Jazeera website that Fatah leader and former PA chief Mahmoud Abbas had decided to close Al-Jazeera offices following the latest Israeli war on Gaza alleging that it was biased in favor of Hamas.
The talks in Egypt aimed at achieving some sort of national reconciliation always seemed unrealistic given the current Fatah leaderships fondness for working with the US and Israeli military, to say nothing of its kidnappings and killings of Hamas supporters.
Ezzat Al-Resheq, a member of Hamas political bureau, stated Saturday that Fatah leaders still circumvent the issue of political arrests in the West Bank, ruling out the possibility of reaching a reconciliation agreement without the release of all political prisoners.
In a press statement to the Palestinian information center (PIC), Resheq said that the meeting held with Egyptian officials and Fatah delegation focused on the political arrest file.
He added that his Movement prepared a list of all prisoners affiliated with Fatah who are still detained but did not receive any list from Fatah.
more at the Palestinian Information Center
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