GAZA: Hamas leaders reject new elections, says President Mahmoud Abbas seeks war at rally to mark 19th anniversary of Hamas

Around 100,000 Hamas supporters packed Gaza's largest soccer stadium to celebrate the 19th anniversary of the foundation of Hamas on Friday (December 15). They waved green Hamas flags. Large murals of Hamas leaders were hung over the walls and behind the stage. Dozens of those who took part were armed. The crowd chanted their support for Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, the Palestinian Prime Minister, who addressed the rally. "Islam is advancing and your march is going ahead despite of what surrounds you of some pain, harm, craft and conspiracies," Haniyeh said. Most of the leaders of Hamas attended along with ministers and lawmakers. The ruling Hamas group accused Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah of starting a war after his security forces opened fire on Friday (December 15) on a Hamas rally in the West Bank and firefights broke out in Gaza. "What a war Mahmoud Abbas you are launching, first against God, and then against Hamas," senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya told the crowd who chanted "God is Greatest" and fired guns into the air. Tensions are now at their highest in a decade and followed months of failed talks to form a unity government between the ruling Hamas Islamist faction and Abbas's once-dominant Fatah. The fresh violence broke out after Hamas, which controls the Palestinian Authority, accused a Fatah strongman and Abbas's presidential guard of trying to kill Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh outside the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. Although Israel was not involved in the latest fighting, its decision -- with U.S. backing -- to prevent Haniyeh from entering Gaza with $35 million intensified the stand-off in which Haniyeh's convoy came under fire late on Thursday. One of Haniyeh's bodyguards was killed in the incident at Rafah on Thursday. Another bodyguard, the prime minister's son and a political adviser were wounded. Hayya's comments at the Gaza rally are Hamas's strongest personal attack yet against Abbas.

ITN Source | December 18, 2006

Tags:. .took. .told. .elections. .controls. .along