Envoy sent to Gaza as Abbas-Hamas rift worsens

A senior aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas made an emergency trip to the Gaza Strip yesterday to try to bridge the rancorous rift that has erupted between the moderate Palestinian leader and the Hamas militants who now control parliament and the Cabinet.

The rupture threatens to jeopardize Abbas' efforts to keep the West from shunning the Palestinians over Hamas' violently anti-Israel ideology. Abbas, elected separately last year, would like to strike a negotiated peace deal with Israel, but Hamas refuses to disarm or recognize Israel's right to exist.

The cool civility that had existed between the two sides since the Islamic militants swept Abbas' Fatah Party from power in January broke down on Friday when Abbas vetoed the group's plan to appoint a militants' army. Hamas quickly defied Abbas' decree, declaring it would go ahead and form the new force, which is to be headed by a top fugitive wanted by Israel.

Hamas' political chief, Khaled Mashaal, accused Abbas of treachery, touching off a storm of protests by Fatah leaders, loyalists and gunmen in the West Bank and Gaza Strip yesterday.

"We can understand that Israel and America are persecuting us, and seeking ways to besiege and starve us, but what about the sons of our people who are plotting against us, who are following a studied plan to make us fail," Mashaal said late on Friday.