RAMALLAH Ñ Egypt has relayed an offer to help reconcile a dispute
between the Palestinian ruling Fatah movement and the Islamic opposition.
Palestinian Authority officials said the Egyptian offer came amid
threats by Fatah and the PA to launch a major crackdown on Hamas. The group
has
been accused of assassinating a leading PA security commander.
Egypt has arranged meetings between Fatah and Hamas representatives in
the Gaza Strip in an effort to prevent renewed violence, officials said.
Egypt has a large diplomatic presence in the Gaza Strip and is in close
coordination with the PA.
So far, officials said, a breakthrough was not reached. They said Hamas
has refused PA demands to surrender those suspected of killing the security
official, Col. Rajah Abu Lahya, on Oct. 7.
Hamas spokesman Abdul Aziz Rentisi has accused the PA of relaying
intelligence information to Israel on the Islamic insurgency group. In an
interview with the Jordanian A-Sabil weekly, Rentisi said Israel and the PA
exchange intelligence as part of security cooperation.
"This information is not about activists but rather [Hamas] leaders,"
Rentisi said.
For its part, Egypt has released 120 Islamic insurgents over the last
week. The insurgents were low-level members of the Gamiat Islamiya group,
which participated in the assassination of President Anwar Sadat in 1981.
Egypt is expected to release additional members of the group in advance and
during the Ramadan fast month, which begins in early November.
Hamas leaders in Damascus have contacted their Fatah counterparts in an
attempt to end the conflict. The Hamas members included Khaled Mashaal,
based in Damascus.
Officials said Fatah is considering a crackdown on Hamas over the next
few weeks in the Gaza Strip. They said the timing of the crackdown would
depend on operational and political considerations.
