Gaza pullout sharpens Fatah-Hamas rivalry

Palestinian policemen fix a Palestinian flag on the roof of an abandoned Israeli synagogue in the former Jewish settlement of Neve Dekalim in the southern Gaza Strip yesterday. Israel closed the door on four decades of occupation of the Gaza Strip yesterday, handing control to triumphant Palestinian forces. PHOTO: AFP

Abbas, the moderate Palestinian Authority president who has frequently criticised the armed uprising against Israeli occupation, sees the pullout after 38 years as a vindication of his pragmatic strategy.

Hamas, whose military wing the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades has been behind the majority of anti-Israeli attacks since the Intifada erupted five years ago, argues it was the "resistance" that forced the arch enemy to flee.

Islamic militant group Hamas vowed to continue its armed struggle until all Palestinian land was freed from occupation, despite Israel's historic withdrawal from the Gaza Strip yesterday.

"The liberation of the Gaza Strip is not the end of the road to comprehensive liberation. We will not rest until we liberate all Palestinian land, crowned by Jerusalem," Ismail Haniya, a leader of Hamas in its Gaza stronghold, told reporters.

"We have to protect the armed resistance... and we continue the armed resistance to liberate and defend our people," he said, calling the road ahead "difficult and long".

Armed militants from both Hamas and its smaller rival Islamic Jihad were among hundreds of Palestinians who poured into the abandoned Jewish settlements early Monday to celebrate the Israeli departure.

Palestinian voters will be able to give their verdict on January 25 in only the second-ever parliamentary elections.

Unlike the first ballot a decade ago, Hamas has decided to participate in the next poll, heartened by its strong showing in municipal elections.

Many voters have become increasingly dismayed with Fatah, the movement founded by the late Yasser Arafat which has dominated Palestinian political life for the last four decades.

For many, Fatah has become a by-word for corruption and incompetence.

Their disillusionment could well increase if they expect the fortunes of Gaza, one of the most poverty-stricken and overcrowded parts of the world, to be swiftly turned around with the exit of the Israeli occupation.

In recent speeches and interviews Abbas has argued it is time to focus on security and the economy, and accept that defeating Israel is not on the cards.