Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Monday strongly slammed Friday's fighting between Hamas and a radical Salafi religious group in southern Gaza town of Rafah.
Abbas, who chaired a meeting of Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's government in Ramallah, said the way Hamas forces treated leaders and members of Islamic Jihadi Salafi (Sunnite) group "was brutal and inhuman" as 24 people were killed and 125 others were injured during the clash.
The fight erupted at the end of Friday's noon prayers at Iben Taymeyah mosque in al-Barazil neighborhood in Rafah, after Salafi declared an Islamic emirate in the Gaza Strip that will implement the Islamic Sharia (Islamic law).
Abbas, who is also Fatah party chief, held Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, responsible for the fighting and its consequences, adding "these Salafi groups are one of Hamas incubations, which has radical Islamic doctrines."
However, the group Salafi, which is believed to have the same ideology of the international-banned al-Qaida, denied in a statement on its website that it links to al-Qaida or has any radical expiatory ideology.
Gaza-based human rights groups earlier called for "probing the incidents." They criticized Hamas government "for involving Hamas armed wing al-Qassam Brigades in the fighting."
Meanwhile, Abbas said the Palestinian National Authority still cling to the dialogue with Hamas movement "and are ready to resume it relying on holding general Palestinian elections."
"National dialogue is essential and we are ready for it. But wesay, as long as we have a constitutional merit on Jan. 24, why don't we hold the presidential and legislative elections," said Abbas.
He reiterated that he has no intention to erase Hamas that controls the Gaza Strip, adding "Our rule is based on diversity and Hamas is part of the Palestinian people, but we should first agree on the constitutional bases."
(Xinhua News Agency August 18, 2009)
