Hamas/Fatah
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told leaders in his party that a collapse of Fatah's shaky coalition with Hamas will lead to more chaos. In a speech to Fatah leaders late Friday, Abbas warned that "the alternative to the national unity government is chaos and loss," the Al Ayyam daily reported on Saturday. Abbas said Fatah must act responsibly. "Fatah will not be the trigger to ignite the fire," he was quoted as saying. "On the contrary, it will work to extinguish the fire." Medics at a northern Gaza Strip hospital walked off their jobs for a few hours Saturday to protest the kidnapping and kneecapping of a doctor by Palestinian militants, the first physician targeted in months of deadly infighting. Dr. Fayez al-Barrawi, a known Hamas supporter, was blindfolded, handcuffed and shot six times in the legs, including a kneecap, and then tossed on the street Thursday. Hamas has said Fatah militants were behind the kidnapping. It was the first time a doctor was seized in the reciprocal kidnappings between factions.(11,54)
