Egypt arranging summit in support of Abbas

‘Murderous terrorists’
The poll by the independent Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research was conducted during and after the Hamas takeover of Gaza last week. It was conducted among 1,270 respondents in the West Bank and Gaza and had an error margin of 3 percentage points.

In a televised speech Wednesday evening, Abbas lashed out at Hamas, branding them “murderous terrorists” with whom he would have no dealings. It marked the first time since Hamas’ takeover of Gaza that Abbas laid out his case before the Palestinian people.

Abbas described in detail what he said was a Hamas attempt to assassinate him. He said he obtained footage of Hamas members dragging large amounts of explosives through a tunnel they had dug under Gaza’s main road—the one he takes to his office—and saying “this is for Abu Mazen,” his nickname. He said he sent the tape to Hamas’ supreme leader, Khaled Mashaal, and to Arab leaders to illustrate Hamas' intentions.

He said Hamas was trying to build an “empire of darkness” in Gaza.

‘The trip is all Hamas’
Abu Zuhri hotly rejected Abbas’ statements. “What he said was disgusting and not appropriate for the Palestinian president,” he said. “The president has harmed himself with his words.”

At least 2,000 Hamas supporters took to the streets in Gaza City, denouncing Abbas as an agent of Israel and the United States. “Abbas, Abbas, the (Gaza) strip is all Hamas,” the crowd chanted.

In the West Bank town of Ramallah, Hamas officials claimed that Palestinian security stormed the house of Hamas leader Hassan Yossef, questioned his sons for three hours and confiscated a computer and documents. Yossef is in an Israeli jail.

In another development, 35 Gazans who had been stuck at the main Gaza-Israel passenger crossing for several days were sent to Egypt via Israel late Wednesday, an Israeli army spokeswoman said.

Among those who left were gunmen from Abbas’ Fatah movement, their wives and children.

Seventy had been authorized to leave, but half decided to stay in Gaza after discovering they were to go to Egypt rather than the West Bank, the spokeswoman said.

Earlier Wednesday, Israel took in several of the sick and wounded in the crowd.

Hundreds of men, women and children rushed to the crossing after the Hamas takeover, among them Fatah loyalists who feared they’d be harmed by Hamas, despite the militants’ offer of amnesty. By Thursday, the passage, rank with the stench of urine and garbage, was nearly empty after it became clear that a mass-exit to the West Bank was not approved.

The army spokeswoman said Palestinian dual nationals and foreigners working in Gaza were being allowed to pass through Israel on Thursday for other points. By midday, 60 Palestinian-Americans had left Gaza for Jordan, and eight World Bank employees also left the strip, she said.