Abbas refuses to travel to Gaza until Hamas withdraws force: official

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will not travel to the Gaza Strip until the Hamas-led government withdraws its newly-formed security force from the Gaza streets, a senior official of Abbas' Fatah movement said on Saturday.

Nabil Amr was quoted by the Palestinian state-run radio as saying that Abbas refused to go to Gaza before Interior Minister and senior Hamas member Saeed Siam "pulls out illegal militia from the Gaza streets."

On May 17, Siam ordered the deployment of the 3,000-strong force under Hamas control in Gaza, saying that the troops were to help the police restore order and protect the Palestinian people.

But Abbas vetoed the formation of the new Hamas security force, terming it illegal.

The dispute over the control of Palestinian security forces has led to fierce clashes between members of the Hamas force and security forces loyal to Fatah.

About a dozen people were killed in the violence and more wounded.

Abbas' Fatah movement, once dominant on the Palestinian political stage, was defeated by Hamas in the January legislative polls.

But most of the security forces are Fatah supporters and Abbas has appointed a close ally to head the security forces and reinforced his elite security forces in the Gaza Strip.

Source: Xinhua