Protests within Fatah Movement, Factions Due to Measures against Gaza

A girl is carried as Palestinians celebrate after Hamas said it reached a deal with Palestinian rival Fatah, in Gaza City October 12, 2017. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem
A girl is carried as Palestinians celebrate after Hamas said it reached a deal with Palestinian rival Fatah, in Gaza City October 12, 2017. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem
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Protests within Fatah Movement, Factions Due to Measures against Gaza

A girl is carried as Palestinians celebrate after Hamas said it reached a deal with Palestinian rival Fatah, in Gaza City October 12, 2017. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem
A girl is carried as Palestinians celebrate after Hamas said it reached a deal with Palestinian rival Fatah, in Gaza City October 12, 2017. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem

Angry protests within Fatah Movement and some factions of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) have intensified over measures taken by the Palestinian Authority against the Gaza Strip, especially the salary crisis and the lack of commitment to pay the full wages, as announced by President Mahmoud Abbas during the recent National Council conference in Ramallah.

Fatah Movement in the Gaza Strip decided to carry out a series of measures in protest of the government’s policy towards the sector’s employees. The decision came during a prolonged meeting on Wednesday at the residence of the Movement’s chief in Gaza, Ahmed Halas.

“We will exercise our natural right to end those measures by legal and legitimate means, and we will not abandon our national and moral responsibilities in defending the rights of our people, mainly the martyrs and the wounded and our heroic families, as well as all the employees who have borne the burden of the struggle and contributed to the establishment of the Palestinian National Authority,” Fatah Movement in Gaza said in a statement.

“The natural solution to address all the problems of Gaza begins with the government of national accord assuming its full responsibility in the southern provinces alike the northern governorates, and enable it to extend full control over all aspects of official work without interference from any organization or party,” the statement added.

The Movement in Gaza held Hamas responsible for obstructing the handover of ministries in Gaza to the national accord government. In this regard, it called on the organization to implement the agreement which was reached in Cairo last year.

Fatah called on the Palestinian president to direct the government to immediately disburse all state employees’ salaries.

In parallel, dozens of PA employees in Gaza held a strike on Wednesday at the Unknown Soldiers’ Square in Gaza city. Protesters, who included families of martyrs, carried banners demanding the government to pay their salaries.



Geagea Calls on Hezbollah to Work with Lebanese Army

 Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea. (Lebanese Forces)
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea. (Lebanese Forces)
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Geagea Calls on Hezbollah to Work with Lebanese Army

 Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea. (Lebanese Forces)
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea. (Lebanese Forces)

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea urged on Friday Hezbollah to engage with the Lebanese army and devise a plan to dismantle its military infrastructure south and north of the Litani river.

In a press conference Friday, Geagea criticized Hezbollah for opening a front with Israel and accused the Shiite group of committing a “major crime” against the Lebanese people.

“We could have done without the martyrdom of more than 4,000 people, the displacement of thousands and the destruction across the country,” he said. “Despite all these tragedies, Hezbollah continues to talk about a victory using a bizarre and disconnected logic that has no basis in reality.”

Geagea’s comments came two days after a US-brokered ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel went into effect. More than 3,900 people have been killed in Lebanon since Israel's conflict with Hezbollah escalated.

Geagea, whose Lebanese Forces Party holds the largest bloc in Lebanon’s 128-member parliament, also addressed Lebanon’s presidential deadlock. The country has been without a president for more than two years.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has scheduled a session for presidential elections in January. "Consultations with opposition factions and our allies will begin in the coming days to explore the possibility of agreeing on presidential candidates and bringing them to parliament,” Geagea said.