A senior Hamas official warned Tuesday the movement that took over Gaza Strip over a year ago could also overrun the West Bank if it is provoked by Fatah. The Hamas official, Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri, told The Associated Press that Fatah leaders should expect "an uprising" against them if they continued a crackdown against Hamas there.
Abu Zuhri said the crackdown on Hamas in the West Bank would not break the movement, but would bring "the opposite result." "It will lead to what will appear like an uprising against the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank," he warned. Abu Zuhri said his movement was not actively planning for a military takeover, but it was an option.
"If arrests continue, they will lead to unforeseen responses, whether from resistance fighters or the people," he said.
A West Bank Fatah official responded that Hamas was issuing empty threats. "If they can do anything, let them do it. We are not afraid," said Fahmi Zaarir, a spokesman for Fatah in the West Bank.
