Most of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza are pessimistic over the reconciliation between rival Fatah and Hamas movements in their inter-dialogue in Cairo, a poll published on Monday indicated.

The survey, conducted by Jerusalem Media and Communication Center (JMCC), said 52.1 percent of the 1,199 Palestinians polled, expected the dialogue would fail to reach an agreement, while 37 percent said it would succeed.

The poll was carried out in both Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip and the West Bank, administrated by President Mahmoud Abbas, during the period between June 20 and June 24.

Rival Fatah and Hamas leaders began on Sunday night a sixth round of dialogue in Cairo amid disputes on unresolved issues, mainly the file of ending arrests by both groups' security forces in both territories, and the transitional period before holding the parliamentary and president elections on Jan. 25 of 2010.

The poll said 26.5 percent held Israel fully responsible if Fatah and Hamas conferees fail to reach an agreement, while 23.5 percent held the Islamic movement (Hamas) responsible for the dialogue's failure and 15.15 percent said that Fatah would be responsible.

Amid the ongoing dialogue, the two sides traded on Monday accusations that each group is cracking down on the other's members and activists, although both had earlier announced that they were intending to free political prisoners not involved in security crimes.

Adnan al-Dumiri, spokesman for pro-Abbas forces, said that the release of 100 Hamas supporters would be completed by Tuesday according to Abbas' orders. Hamas also said it released 20 Fatah members on Sunday after it was approved that they were not involved in any crime.

"This step reflects abidance by the national interests and the enforcing of the law and it paves the way for making the national dialogue successful," al-Dumiri said in a statement faxed to the media, adding "those who would be released don't pose any threat to the general security and order."

But earlier on Monday, Hamas said in a leaflet that Abbas security forces detained seven Hamas members in the West Bank. Hamas denied Fatah's announcement that dozens of its members were detained by Hamas interior security in Gaza overnight.

"Hamas security forces arrested Ahmed Nasser, member of Fatah revolutionary council and a former Fatah lawmaker in Gaza," said a Fatah statement, while Hamas said that Fatah's claims "are just fabricated to mislead the public opinion...there are 900 of our members still behind the bars in Abbas jails."

However, the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) on Monday accused Islamic Hamas movement and its armed wing al-Kassam Brigades for preparing to assassinate senior Palestinian officials in the West Bank before reaching a reconciliation agreement in Cairo on July 7.

Tayeb Abdel Rahim, chief of the Palestinian Presidency in Ramallah, told a news conference that the PNA has confidential information that Hamas leadership abroad and Gaza militants planned to assassinate PNA officials in the West Bank.

"Following investigations with several Hamas activists who had been recently detained, they confessed that they were authorized by Hamas leadership abroad and al-Kassam militants to carry out assassinations," said Abdel Rahim.

Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in mid June 2007, and ithas been ruling the enclave since then, after its militants routed President Mahmoud Abbas security forces and cracked down on his Fatah movement.

Egypt's intelligence chief Omar Suleiman informed the two groups' negotiators in Cairo that whether they agreed or not, they should sign a reconciliation agreement on July 7. Officials of both sides traded accusations that each is trying to thwart the dialogue.

The poll also found out that Abbas' Fatah party will crush Islamic Hamas movement if parliamentary elections are held now in the Palestinian territories, adding that Fatah will get 38.5 percent of the votes while Hamas will get 18.8 percent. The rest of the ballots will go to other less-influential groups.

Source:Xinhua