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Gaza security forces detain Fatah member at Rafah crossing
Gaza forces detain Fatah member at Rafah crossing
Jan. 29, 2017 12:29 P.M. (Updated: Jan. 29, 2017 12:29 P.M.)
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=775171
GAZA (Ma’an) — Gaza security forces detained Fatah leader Arafat Abu Shabab
early Sunday morning while he attempted to return to the Gaza Strip through
the Rafah crossing, after leaving the besieged coastal enclave 10 years ago.
Abu Shabab’s brother told Ma’an that Hamas security forces detained Abu
Shabab at the crossing at 2 a.m. Sunday, amid a three-day opening of the
Rafah border terminal that is sealed by Egyptian authorities for the
majority of the year.
He added that Abu Shabab left Gaza in 2007, following Hamas’ election
victory in 2006, which erupted into a violent conflict between the Fatah and
Hamas as both attempted to consolidate control over the territory.
Ma’an reported in 2014 that Abu Shabab was also detained by Gaza security
forces at the Rafah crossing when he attempted to return to Gaza Strip at
the time.
Sunday’s incident came after Fatah and Hamas officials met earlier this
month to discuss political reconciliation and the eventual formation of a
unity government, with Fatah officials affirming that the internal
Palestinian divisions “should end in a short time.”
Reports of reconciliation talks in past weeks have come as Hamas and the PA
have exchanged accusations of carrying out “politically motivated” arrests,
and blamed each other for an ongoing electricity crisis in the Gaza Strip
which left the majority of Palestinians there with only three hours of power
a day for more than a week.
Meanwhile on Wednesday, a Gaza military court sentenced eight Palestinians
affiliated to the Fatah party — three of whom to life in prison — for
allegedly gathering information about Palestinian resistance factions in
Gaza for intelligence forces of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
Despite numerous attempts at reconciling the groups, Palestinian leadership
has so far repeatedly failed to follow through on promises of reconciliation
and holding of long-overdue elections, as both movements have frequently
blamed each other for numerous political failures.
Source: http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=72105
