Tens of thousands urge for unity in occupied Palestine

Many demonstrators said they planned to stay on the streets until Fatah and Hamas announced practical steps to restore unity.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians answered a rallying call on Facebook by demonstrating on Tuesday in Israel-besieged Gaza and the occupied West Bank for reconciliation between Hamas and President Mahmoud Abbas’s rival Fatah group.

Organisers said popular revolts in neighbouring Egypt and elsewhere in the Arab world inspired them to act.
In a televised speech, Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh said he respected the will of the people to establish a unified Palestinian leadership, and called on Abbas to meet him.
“I invite President Abu Mazen (Abbas) and the Fatah movement to an immediate meeting, here in the Gaza Strip or in any other place, to launch a comprehensive dialogue,” Haniyeh said.
“This could be the doorway to achieving reconciliation.”
Rallies drew close to 100,000 protesters from various groups in Hamas-ruled Gaza, where unemployment is over 50 percent.
In the West Bank city of Ramallah, where only 4,000 joined a rally, Abbas renewed his call for presidential and parliamentary elections.
“Elections are the only way to end this ugly and unacceptable division,” he told reporters after talks with the visiting president of Greek Cyprus.
“Ending the separation as a national priority is something … that needs to happen,” Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad told reporters in the West Bank.
It was “an integral element” of “national readiness for the emergence and birth of the state of Palestine”.
“I hope the call will be heeded … we need to be able to bring this sad chapter to a close,” Fayyad said.

“Plan for more rallies”

Youth groups on Facebook instigated the rallies, and the factions later ordered supporters to join, to gain popularity.
“We hope today will be the dawn of unity and the beginning of the end of divisions,” said Ehab Mohammed, 24. “Factions including Hamas are trying to sabotage the rally by showing their muscle.”
Many demonstrators said they planned to stay on the streets until Fatah and Hamas announced practical steps to restore unity. They accused Hamas supporters of hitting them with clubs at one rally, an allegation Hamas security officials denied.
Hamas officials told representatives of other factions that the rallies should end at sunset.
Hamas seized the Gaza Strip from Fatah in 2007. Egypt’s efforts to reconcile them made no progress.
In Ramallah, Hiba ali, who wore a sticker on her forehead reading “Let’s End Occupation”, said: “I am here today to say enough is enough. This division should come to an end. We should focus on ending the (Israeli) occupation”.
In Gaza, Salah Al-Bardaweel said Hamas was ready to meet public demands and “launch a comprehensive dialogue to achieve reconciliation and end division.”
“The people want to end the division,” the crowd chanted.

Source: Agencies