Fatah

For nearly five years Mahmoud Abbas had moved timidly in the shadow of his charismatic predecessor, the late Yasser Arafat. His demeanor matched his somber dark suits, his rambling speeches lulled audiences to sleep, and his indecision led the Palestinians' preeminent political movement to defeat and disarray. Over the last week, however, a more forceful Abbas stepped forward. After cajoling the aging leaders of his Fatah movement to hold its first convention in two decades and put their jobs on the line, he fended off an assault by younger activists on his own record.

On the first Friday since Israel ended its 22-day offensive in the Gaza Strip, some Palestinians gathered for weekly mass devotions by spreading prayer rugs on the streets outside the wreckage of mosques devastated by missile strikes. Among those not making a public appearance, however, was the top local political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh. Rumors had been rife that Haniyeh, an Islamic religious scholar, would emerge from weeks of hiding to deliver a sermon.

At a meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert pledged to free more than 150 Palestinian prisoners, a gesture meant to energize peace talks. The release could also boost the prestige of the Palestinian leader, whose Fatah movement is engaged in a tense power struggle with the militant Islamic group Hamas. Olmert has announced that he will resign next month because of corruption investigations, but his term could actually extend into next year.

A militiaman standing on the roof of his in-laws' home was shot dead Wednesday in a disputed incident that led to the worst day of clashes between Palestinian factions since they agreed to a truce two weeks ago. Four other people died in the violence in the Gaza Strip.

Thousands of mourners marched through Gaza City carrying the bodies of seven Fatah members killed Thursday in a standoff with Hamas gunmen, and Fatah said talks with its rival movement would be suspended until the assailants were brought to justice. Violence continued, as militants gunned down a preacher moments after he exited a mosque where he had delivered a sermon criticizing Hamas' role in a wave of Palestinian violence. Hamas denied involvement.

Kamel Ghannam, a 31-year-old Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade commander, is the kind of battle-hardened veteran that the Palestinian Authority president needs in his often-violent power struggle with Hamas. But President Mahmoud Abbas can't have him right now because the warrior is on Israel's "wanted terrorists" list. He is hiding to elude an Israeli army crackdown in the West Bank.

Israeli officials said Friday that they had transferred $100 million in withheld revenues to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert agreed to the move during a meeting with Abbas last month. Israel began withholding about $50 million monthly in taxes and customs duties last year after the militant Hamas movement took control of the Palestinian government following elections.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and the exiled chief of the rival Hamas faction failed Sunday night to resolve their differences over forming a unity government, dashing hopes for a quick end to deadly clashes between their supporters. But Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal said in a statement that they had "achieved major progress" during their first meeting since July 2005, and that they hoped to resume talks within two weeks.

Fourteen Palestinians died Friday in a resurgence of factional violence that marred the one-year anniversary of Hamas' victory in parliamentary elections. The daily death toll was one of the highest in the sporadic street fighting that has sunk the Palestinians deeper into chaos and poverty over the last year and complicated efforts to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Gunmen from the rival Hamas and Fatah movements battled in Gaza City for a third straight day, firing mortar rounds and grenades in clashes that killed seven people in the increasingly bloody power struggle over the Palestinian government. The deaths brought to at least 25 the number of Palestinians killed since late Thursday, with at least 68 people wounded and efforts to forge a coalition government at a standstill.

Something different is happening among the Palestinians. Their political leaders and civil servants are spending more time planning for a Palestinian state than criticizing the Israelis for their intransigence. During the first congress of the leading Palestinian movement, Fatah, in 20 years, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas refused to be dragged into belligerent rhetoric. He insisted that although Palestinians have the right to use all forms of resistance, he chooses diplomacy.

For nearly five years Mahmoud Abbas had moved timidly in the shadow of his charismatic predecessor, the late Yasser Arafat. His demeanor matched his somber dark suits, his rambling speeches lulled audiences to sleep, and his indecision led the Palestinians' preeminent political movement to defeat and disarray. Over the last week, however, a more forceful Abbas stepped forward. After cajoling the aging leaders of his Fatah movement to hold its first convention in two decades and put their jobs on the line, he fended off an assault by younger activists on his own record.

On the first Friday since Israel ended its 22-day offensive in the Gaza Strip, some Palestinians gathered for weekly mass devotions by spreading prayer rugs on the streets outside the wreckage of mosques devastated by missile strikes. Among those not making a public appearance, however, was the top local political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh. Rumors had been rife that Haniyeh, an Islamic religious scholar, would emerge from weeks of hiding to deliver a sermon.

At a meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert pledged to free more than 150 Palestinian prisoners, a gesture meant to energize peace talks. The release could also boost the prestige of the Palestinian leader, whose Fatah movement is engaged in a tense power struggle with the militant Islamic group Hamas. Olmert has announced that he will resign next month because of corruption investigations, but his term could actually extend into next year.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas refused to grant West Bank asylum to forces who fled weekend factional fighting in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, despite fears for their safety. Abbas ordered nearly 200 fighters back to Gaza from Israel, insisting that Fatah must retain a presence in the territory, which has been controlled by Hamas since a violent takeover in June 2007. Hamas confirmed that it detained the first group of 32 who were sent back, but said it later released all but five of them.

Nine people were killed Saturday as Hamas routed a well-armed clan loyal to the rival Fatah group from its urban stronghold in the worst flare-up of internal Palestinian strife this year. Hospital officials said 72 people, including 12 children, were wounded as mortar shells and machine-gun fire rattled Gaza City's crowded Shijaiyah neighborhood during the daylong battle. Among the injured was clan leader Ahmed Hillis, who fled into Israel with dozens of his followers.

Re "Self-defense vs. slaughter," Opinion, March 8 Tim Rutten's writings have made me grateful that he is a columnist for The Times, so I regret that his column on Gaza is one with which I cannot agree. More than 100 Palestinians in Gaza were injured or killed, while three people were killed in Israel by Hamas rocket fire in this latest struggle. The number of Palestinians killed in these battles over the years far outnumbers Israelis killed. In democratic elections in Gaza, Hamas won over Fatah and should, at the least, be seated at the table with the United States and Fatah if we genuinely believe in real democratic elections.

Hamas gunmen burst into the home of a top Fatah official in Gaza City and arrested him, relatives said. Omar Ghoul was the most senior Fatah politician to be detained since Hamas forces took over the Gaza Strip in June. Ghoul, arrested on charges of "illegal activities," had been spending much of his time in the West Bank but was in town to attend his mother-in-law's funeral.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas sharpened the war of words against his Hamas rivals Thursday, saying it was time to "bring down" the militant group's regime in the Gaza Strip. Abbas' comments against Hamas, whose fighters defeated his Fatah faction to take control of Gaza five months ago, reflected his anger over a deadly clash in the coastal enclave this week.

Officials of the Fatah faction said Tuesday that hundreds of its members were detained by Hamas after deadly violence marred a massive rally in the Gaza Strip a day earlier. Fatah leaders said a wave of arrests in Gaza targeted activists, including ranking party figures who had organized the rally marking the third anniversary of Yasser Arafat's death. The gathering erupted in gunfire, leaving seven people dead and dozens injured.