Hamas Faces 250,000 Fatah Supporters With Predictable Results

The fact that the media takes note of this is interesting:

Hamas security forces opened fire Monday at a rally by the rival Fatah movement commemorating Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Six people were killed in the bloodiest day of intra-Palestinian fighting since Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in June.

Some 250,000 Fatah supporters joined Monday's rally in a major square of Gaza City, carrying pictures of Arafat, yellow Fatah flags and wearing trademark black-and-white Arab headdresses. It was the biggest outpouring of support for Fatah since Hamas' violent takeover of the territory.

Naturally, each side blames the other--but the fact remains that Hamas cannot come across too favorably in a confrontation like this, and this is the only way Abbas can actually build up his "moderate" creds.

On the other hand, the US--and other western countries--have been known to support countries with a similar lack of respect for human rights.

Technorati Tag: Hamas and Fatah.