Hamas: "The United States is funding a coup against the government"

Saturday January 06, 2007 07:41 by Sa'ed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Mosheer Al Masry, one of the senior Hamas officials in the Gaza Strip said on Friday that the United States is attempting to encourage a revolt against the Hamas-led Palestinian government.

Al Masry stated that the Bush administration intends to transfer an amount of $84 million to the Palestinian Security Forces loyal to president Mahmoud Abbas.

He added that the government demands Abbas to reject the U.S policy “which aims at tearing the Palestinian people apart and create further violence among the factions”. 

The statements of Al Masry came as the violent clashes between Hamas and Fateh gunmen intensified and more residents and officials of the two movements were killed and injured.

After Abbas called for early legislative and presidential elections over the failure or unity talks, Hamas said that the president is mounting a coup against its government.

Reuters obtained a U.S government document stating that the United States wants to send aid money to the Palestinian presidency in order to “assist the P.A in fulfilling its commitments under the Road Map Plan, and impose law and orders in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip”, Israeli online daily, Haaretz, reported.

Following Friday prayers, Palestinian Prime Minister, Ismail Haniyya, said that the Palestinians should end the infighting and focus on resisting the Israeli occupation to their land.

Haniyya added that the “fight is not internal, but it is against the occupation”.
 
Meanwhile, Fateh official Jibril Rajoub said during a celebration marking the anniversary of the movement that the battle is not between Fateh and Hamas, “buy, it is a battle against the occupation”.

He added that this battle is not a battle of abductions and revenge, and called for halting all acts of internal violence.

On Friday, the Palestinians buried seven Fateh men who were killed in one of the bloodiest clashes in the Gaza Strip.

Several gunmen fired rounds of live ammunition into the air and called for revenge.

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