Senior Hamas official warns against expanding fight to West Bank

Jun 14, 2007, 11:19 GMT

Damascus - A senior Hamas official warned Thursday of any attempt by Fatah to carry the fighting to the West Bank, and reasserted his group's keenness not to shed the Palestinian blood.

Fatah has threatened to carry the fighting to the West Bank, where Hamas is weak. There have been sporadic battles in the West Bank this week and early Thursday.

'This is very dangerous for our people,' Moussa Abu Marzouk, deputy head of Hamas' political bureau, told the Deutsche Presse- Agentur dpa in a telephone call.

'All wise people, especially in Fatah, should be aware of this danger and should prevent the men of (Fatah strongman Mohammad) Dahlan from messing in the West Bank's security as they had done in Gaza Strip,' he added.

Commenting on what has been leaked by an aide of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that the latter has ordered his guards to strike back against Hamas officials, and not simply maintain a defensive posture, Abu Marzouk defended his group's position.

'Hamas has no intention whatsoever to shed the blood of any Palestinian. What she is doing is just a self-defense against a certain group,' he insisted. 'The battle of the Palestinians is only with the Israeli enemy.'

He also ruled out any possibility to split Palestinian territory into two, with Hamas controlling the coastal strip and Fatah ruling the West Bank. Palestinian territory was 'united and would remain so, and we would work to liberate the all Palestinian lands.'

Abu Marzouk said that Hamas had recently met with some 'honouorable' Fatah men in a bid for cooperation to end the current round of Hamas-Fatah fighting.

He disclosed that there had been an agreement on Wednesday to calm the situation 'and there was talk with Abbas over a seven-point deal. But it seems that some people have no intention to end the current crisis in Gaza' but he decline to provide any details.

Abu Marzouk also noted that Fatah did not pull out of the governing coalition with Hamas, but rather suspended its partnership.