TASEK PAUH blogspot

Fatah is sponsored from outside

AlJazeera, February 2 - Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, in Washington presses for a renewed push to support Abbas in his power struggle with Hamas, which won a general election in January 2006.

Hamas has accused Washington of trying to provoke a Palestinian civil war by granting $86 million to bolster Fatah security forces.

Six Palestinians were killed and another 70 wounded on Thursday, after Hamas ambushed of a presidential guard supply convoy from Egypt.

One guard was left dead although Fatah denied the trucks were transporting weapons.

Weapons are being supplied by key US allies Jordan and Egypt, with US encouragement and Israeli approval.

Arms race

Israel's deputy defence minister, Ephraim Sneh, said: "If Gaza will be under Hamas's control, it will very bad for Israel's security."

Sneh did not comment specifically on the new weapons being given to Abbas's forces.

Hamas has struggled to govern since taking office in March under the weight of US-backed sanctions imposed over its refusal to recognise Israel, renounce violence and accept existing interim peace deals with the Jewish state.

Diplomats say Abbas' military build-up was meant to counter moves by Hamas in smuggling more powerful weapons into Gaza.

Israel and other Western countries have accused Iran, under world scrutiny for its nuclear programme, of supporting Hamas financially. Adopted from Agencies

Labels: Berita, Luar Negeri, Palestin