Hamas warns of W Bank tension

Hamas warned the Western-backed Palestinian Authority yesterday that its crackdown on the Islamist group in the West Bank could lead to a backlash.

Palestinian security forces have arrested hundreds of Hamas activists since the group’s armed wing killed four Jewish settlers in the West Bank this month. The arrests have deepened hostility between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority from which it seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007.

“The situation in the West Bank has become unbearable,” Omar Abdel-Raziq, a Hamas official told a news conference called by the group to condemn the brief detention of another senior Hamas member yesterday.

“Palestinian society is in a state of tension and the reason is the irresponsible actions of the security apparatus,” he said. “These acts could lead to bad consequences. We are not responsible for that. The responsible party is the security forces”.

“We are banned from interacting with our public,” he added, referring to measures which Hamas say have stopped it from holding any public events. “We cannot keep the youth calm and we cannot interact with them,” he added.

Hamas opposes peace talks PA President Mahmoud Abbas is holding with Israel and says that armed “resistance” is the best way for the Palestinians to pursue their cause.

PA security forces prevented journalists from entering the Ramallah headquarters of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) for the news conference called by Hamas, forcing senior members of the group to speak to the media in the street.