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Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Hamas opens new front in its war with Fatah: Lebanon

NICOSIA — The Hamas movement is preparing to take control of Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon.

Palestinian security sources said Hamas has been amassing weapons and training fighters in an effort to control Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. The sources said Hamas was expected to launch operations to weaken or end the control of the Fatah movement of these camps.

"Hamas plans to open another front in its war against Fatah," a Palestinian security source said. "In the West Bank, Hamas is too weak to take on Fatah. But in Lebanon, Hamas is growing stronger by the day."

On Dec. 8, Fatah and Hamas combatants clashed in the Palestinian refugee camp of Miyeh Miyeh, Middle East Newsline reported. The camp, located near the southern Lebanese port city of Sidon, was rocked by gun battles in which at least one person, a Fatah member, was killed and several others were injured.

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"We are working to stop bloodshed," Fatah military commander Sultan Abu Al Einen said.

The Fatah-Hamas rivalry has split Palestinian clans. In Miyeh Miyeh, a shootout erupted between rival factions of the Zeidan clan, divided between loyalists of Fatah and Hamas.

The sources said Iran and Syria have been helping the Hamas buildup in refugee camps in Lebanon. They said Hamas has been deploying fighters trained in Iran and Syria as well as shipments of rocket-propelled launchers, short-range missiles and automatic weapons.

Hamas has also been reported to have amassed weapons in the major refugee camps of Ein Hilwe and Rashadiyeh. About 400,000 Palestinians live in 12 United Nations-operated refugee camps in Lebanon.

The sources said the Palestinian Authority has sought to bolster the Fatah presence in refugee camps in Lebanon. The Lebanese government has no authority over the camps.

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