Abbas outlaws Hamas militant group
Mahmoud Abbas faces a difficult 2007
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Saturday, 06, Jan 2007 06:02
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has declared a paramilitary organisation of Hamas illegal, deepening the deadlock between moderates and militants.
The Fatah leader made the move following the apparent assassination of a senior security forces figure closely allied with Mr Abbas' party on Saturday.
Hamas, whose victory in the parliamentary election of January 2005 prompted punitive sanctions from around the world, has rejected Mr Abbas' claim of illegality for its "executive force".
"I am becoming completely convinced that there are those who don't want the Palestinian scene to enjoy calm and stability or to create the appropriate atmosphere for starting serious and deep dialogue aimed at reaching a national unity government,'' prime minister Ismail Haniya of Hamas was quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying.
Negotiations aimed at convincing Hamas to join Fatah in a unity government broke down last year when Hamas refused to recognise Israel as a state. Talks between Mr Haniya and Mr Abbas last week appear to have made little additional progress, as today's move shows.
"President Mahmoud Abbas decided to reshuffle the security forces and its leadership and to consider the executive force, officers and members, illegal and outside the law," a statement from Mr Abbas' office said.
The Palestinian internal conflict saw its worst period of prolonged violence in December following a failed assassination attempt on the life of Mr Haniya. Although internecine fighting has subsided since then, analysts fear that today's move by Mr Abbas could reignite simmering tensions in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.