PNA launches campaign against Hamas
Palestine, Local, 9/26/1997

The Palestinian National Authority decided to act against Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement, because Hamas leaders had mislead the PNA with inaccurate information when they claimed they had no connection to the latest suicide bombings in West Jerusalem, Palestinian sources said Friday. The sources said that over the past 24 hours, the PNA has shut down 16 social organizations led by Hamas in the Gaza Strip and a local television station in Nablus on the West Bank and arrested dozens of the movement 's members, including some members of the hard core of the organization, and others who appear on Israel’s wanted lists.

The Palestinian sources denied any link between the campaign and the Palestiniann-Israeli talks that are to resume next week in Washington, with US participation. PLO Executive Committee Member Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy are scheduled to hold a meeting with US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. In her visit earlier this month to the region, Albright insisted that the PNA fight the infrastructure of Hamas and any other Palestinian organization that advocates suicide attacks on Israel.

The latest campaign against Hamas meets the US demands though were not prompted by them, a senior Palestinian sources said Friday. He added that Hamas had crossed a demarcation line from the PNA perspective and that is why the decision to act against them was made. Besides, he added, Hamas leaders had broken their promise not to carry out attacks against Israel so as not to embarrass the PNA.

Previous Stories:
  Hamas is still strong enough to initiate immediate attack   (9/24/1997)
  Ras Al Amoud and another explosion   (9/20/1997)
  Whether kidnapped, killed, or hiding, rumors abound for missing Hamas leader   (9/15/1997)

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