Gaza celebration rally ends in gunfire
A Palestinian rally to celebrate Israel’s pull-out from Gaza ended in chaos today when a Hamas activist grabbed a microphone away from a rap singer, and police firing in the air escorted the singer away, ending a gathering that disappointed many.
No one was hurt, but the small crowd of about 2,500 people dispersed quickly after the incident. The rally was billed as a show of Palestinian unity, but most of the Palestinian political parties and militant groups stayed away, and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas cancelled his appearance.
An aide said he was concerned about gunmen in the crowd.
Instead of taking part in Abbas’ gathering, Hamas scheduled another rally for Friday, following a demonstration in Gaza City last night in which tens of thousands filled the streets.
Abbas invited all the Palestinian groups to attend the official celebration near the ruins of the Neve Dekalim settlement, hoping for a show of strength to bolster his leadership in the face of a stiff struggle with the Islamic Hamas over control of Gaza now and parliamentary elections in January.
However, the small crowd filled barely a third of a sandy field cleared by Palestinian bulldozers for the rally, dealing a blow to Abbas’ prestige. Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar made a brief appearance, talked to reporters and left.
Some participants were disappointed. “I was expecting a bigger celebration,” said Abu Abdullah Asuna, 40. “It doesn’t fit the size of the victory.”
The main speaker at the rally was Abbas aide Tayeb Abdel Rahim. He said Palestinians would never fire at each other and appealed for unity: “Dialogue is our way, we have no other option other than dialogue and democracy.”
Earlier today, Abbas’ top aide, Rafiq Husseini, said the Palestinian leader would first deal with militants in his ruling Fatah movement and then with rival groups. “Our plan is that … by the (January) election, the Palestinian street will be cleaned of militias and illegal weapons,” he said.
Zahar hotly rejected that. “We will not allow for even one gun to be taken away from us,” he said. “Why should we give up our weapons while Israel still threatens our borders?”
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