BICOM

An estimated 10,000 Palestinians participated in a Hamas rally yesterday in Nablus, situated in the northern West Bank, which is controlled by the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority (PA).

Yesterday’s rally, marking the twenty fifth anniversary of the founding of Hamas, was the first time in five years that a public gathering by Hamas and a display of its symbols had been permitted by Fatah, which controls the Palestinian areas of the West Bank. The two factions have been fierce rivals since Hamas violently seized control of the Gaza Strip from Fatah in 2007 and PA security forces have routinely arrested Hamas activists in the West Bank in recent years.

However, yesterday’s event was broadcasted live on national Palestinian television and a number of Fatah officials, including the governor of Nablus, Amin Makboul, participated in it. The rally is widely viewed as another indication that Hamas and Fatah are moving towards reconciliation, with Fatah set to stage a rally of their own in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip in January. Makboul indicated at yesterday’s rally that PA President Mahmoud Abbas would soon meet with Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal in Cairo for an “historic meeting.”

At yesterday’s event, according to the New York Times, the crowd chanted “Qassam, repeat it, Tel Aviv, destroy it,” in reference to the military wing of Hamas which launched rockets reaching Tel Aviv during the recent Operation Pillar of Defence. Earlier this week, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sharply criticised Abbas for his attempt to reconcile with Hamas, noting that Hamas aspires to destroy Israel.

A further Hamas rally is set to take place today in the volatile city of Hebron, where violence has erupted over the last two days between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian protesters. On Wednesday a Palestinian youth was shot dead in Hebron after he appeared to threaten an Israeli patrol with a gun, which later proved to be a fake weapon. Following his funeral yesterday, clashes took place during which a Palestinian was shot and injured after throwing a Molotov cocktail at Israeli soldiers.