Palestine Today 111108

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas criticized on Tuesday the Hamas party in Gaza as ' failing' the Cairo-hosted national unity conference. Meanwhile, Israeli military detention campaigns continued in the West Bank. These news and more coming up, stay tuned.


Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, blamed today the ruling Hamas party in Gaza for obstructing an expected Cairo-hosted dialogue for Palestinian national unity. Abbas urged the Arab states league to take a stance in light of such a development.

The rival Fatah party of Abbas and the Hamas party in Gaza, were expected to attend a national unity conference in Cairo to end division and come out with a national unity government.

Hamas requested a call off due to what the party saw the Abbas-led Palestine Liberation Organization's domination of the decision-making, especially negotiations with Israel.

Hamas has shunned peace talks with Israel, which the PLO undertook in 1993, signing peace accords with the Hebrew state.

" Those who wish to join the PLO should abide by PLO's responsibilities and resolutions, as PLO adds honor to others and others add nothing to PLO", Abbas was quoted as saying during a special ceremony in Ramallah , marking the fourth anniversary of late President Arafat's death.

Meanwhile, nearby , an Israel military special undercover unit abducted a Palestinian resident from the West Bank refugee camp of Jenin.

In Gaza, the ruling Hamas party banned a twin Ramallah festival, marking Arafat's death four years ago. Hamas has wrestled control over Gaza during factional fighting with Fatah party of Abbas in June2007.

In another development, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in Gaza, warned of stopping providing services to 750,000 registered Gaza refugees as Israel continues closure of commercial crossings for the seventh day consecutively.

Today , Israel allowed some quantities of industrial crude fuel , needed to generate electricity, after Gaza plunged yesterday night in darkness due to sever power outages because of lack of fuel.

The energy authority in Gaza considered the shipments inadequate, warning of one power outage, as the quantities allowed in runs the Gaza's sole power plant for only 30 hours.

The Israeli military closed commercial crossings such as Karni, Nahal Auz, Kissufim, Sufa last week, following Israeli attacks on the coastal region, which bred Palestinian homemade shells fire onto nearby Israeli areas.

Thank you for joining us from occupied Bethlehem. You have been listening to Palestine Today from the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org. This report has been brought to you by Rami Al-Meghari, and Husam Qassis