PALESTINE: Palestinians rally in Gaza and Hebron calling for national reconcilliation - Ma'an News

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Palestinians rally in Gaza and Hebron calling for national
reconcilliation
Maan News

March 26, 2008

Hebron – Gaza – Ma'an – Tens of thousands of Palestinians staged
rallies in Gaza City and the West Bank city of Hebron on Wednesday
calling for national reconciliation between bitter political rivals
Fatah and Hamas.

The rally in Gaza was organized by the Palestinian Popular Campaign
for National Reconciliation. Coordinator Abdul Mun'im Tahrawi said the
rally had three goals. First was to demonstrate that the Palestinian
people can bring about change in the internal political rivalry.
Second was to send a message to all political factions that the
Palestinian people have chosen reconciliation. Third was to urge the
participants in this week's Arab summit in Damascus that the
Palestinian issue must be included in the agenda.

Meanwhile, crowds of people in Hebron participated in a march from Al-
Quds Open University to the city's Al-Manara Square. Several prominent
Palestinian leaders representing different factions and Islamic forces
took part in the rally. Palestinian flags were raised and participants
shouted slogans calling for national unity.

The Hebron rally was organized by the Palestinian Centre for Democracy
and Conflict Resolution.

On Sunday senior Fatah official and former Palestinian Prime Minister
Azzam al-Ahmed, and senior Hamas representative Moussa Abu Marzouk
signed an initiative in the Yemeni capital Sana'a, calling for the
creation of a Palestinian national unity government and the rebuilding
of security forces loyal to the government rather than the rival
political factions.

Hamas and Fatah ruled together in a National Unity government from
March 2007 until Hamas seized power in the Gaza Strip in June 2007,
resulting in days of bloody fighting between the two sides.