Palestinian Authority closes Islamist student bloc

The Palestinian Authority closed the headquarters of an Islamist student union in the PLO-ruled Gaza Strip, an official in the union said yesterday. The Islamic Union, which represents thousands of students, is pro-Hamas.

The union said in a statement, "We in the union record our extreme astonishment at this dangerous act. This step is an unjustified violation of the prevailing law. It reinforces a state of. . . chaos and it constitutes a military interference in civic business."