Fatah arrests Hamas activists in W.Bank

By Atef Sa'ad

NABLUS, West Bank (Reuters) - Security forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction rounded up dozens of Hamas activists, including university lecturers, in the occupied West Bank on Monday, Hamas sources said.

Tensions between the factions rose sharply after a bombing in the Gaza Strip killed five Hamas militants and a girl on Friday.

A Hamas delegation will travel to Egypt on Tuesday to discuss the conflict with Fatah and the Islamist group's Gaza ceasefire with Israel, officials familiar with the plan said.

The delegation will include Moussa Abu Marzouk, a Hamas leader based in Syria, as well as Hamas leaders from Gaza. Israel wants to see progress towards freeing soldier Gilad Shalit, captured by Gaza militants two years ago.

Hamas responded to Friday's bombing with its biggest crackdown on Fatah in Gaza since ousting Abbas's forces from the coastal territory a year ago. Fatah has hit back with arrests in the West Bank, where it still holds sway.

Abbas's security forces detained more than 50 Hamas activists overnight and early on Monday in the West Bank city of Nablus, including lecturers and students at al-Najah University and local city council members, the Hamas sources said.

On Sunday, Abbas's forces detained at least 20 Hamas activists in the city of Jenin and another 15 in Tulkarm.

Hamas arrested nearly 200 Fatah officials and activists in the Gaza Strip following Friday's bombing, but about half of them have been released, Hamas officials said.

On Monday, Hamas prevented the distribution of three major Palestinian newspapers in the territory. Hamas considers the newspapers close to Fatah.

ARD CAMERAMAN

Among those detained is a Palestinian cameraman working for Germany's ARD network named Sawah Abu Saif. ARD bureau chief Richard Schneider told Reuters he had asked a senior Hamas official, Mahmoud Zahar, to try to secure Abu Saif's release.

Schneider said Hamas had accused Abu Seif of being a Fatah activist and suspected him of involvement in Friday's attack.

"Of course, we deny this completely. I have known him for two years and he has no political involvement at all," he said.

Hamas has blamed Friday's deadly bombing and another outside a Hamas politician's home on Fatah, which denies responsibility.

Abbas has renewed calls for dialogue with Hamas, which won a majority in a 2006 parliamentary poll, and said an independent Palestinian committee should investigate Friday's blast.