Fatah-Hamas rift felt throughout territories
The rift between rival Palestinian groups Fatah and Hamas and between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip is deepening the month of Ramadan, which began Thursday.Jamal Bawatneh, religious affairs minister in the Abbas-appointed government based in the West Bank, has warned that any imam or preacher "promoting political, personal or partisan ideas will be sacked or replaced".Placing advertisements in newspapers, the Palestinian civil service is looking to recruit "qualified staff" to fill vacant preaching jobs. Bawatneh said his government had already budgeted for 800 such jobs, AFP reported.According to Palestinian security forces, most of the mosques in the West Bank are controlled by Hamas.Ibrahim Abdel Karim, a Gaza resident, told the al-Arabiya network, "Gaza Strip residents are afraid that West Bank residents will celebrate the month of Ramadan according to the dates it is celebrated in some Arab countries, while Gaza residents celebrate according to dates used by other Arab countries, causing a difference of one day between the Strip and the West Bank."Eventually Palestinians decided to start the holiday on Thursday, both in Gaza and the West Bank.
The rift between rival Palestinian groups Fatah and Hamas and between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip is deepening the month of Ramadan, which began Thursday.Jamal Bawatneh, religious affairs minister in the Abbas-appointed government based in the West Bank, has warned that any imam or preacher "promoting political, personal or partisan ideas will be sacked or replaced".Placing advertisements in newspapers, the Palestinian civil service is looking to recruit "qualified staff" to fill vacant preaching jobs. Bawatneh said his government had already budgeted for 800 such jobs, AFP reported.According to Palestinian security forces, most of the mosques in the West Bank are controlled by Hamas.Ibrahim Abdel Karim, a Gaza resident, told the al-Arabiya network, "Gaza Strip residents are afraid that West Bank residents will celebrate the month of Ramadan according to the dates it is celebrated in some Arab countries, while Gaza residents celebrate according to dates used by other Arab countries, causing a difference of one day between the Strip and the West Bank."Eventually Palestinians decided to start the holiday on Thursday, both in Gaza and the West Bank.
As in the days of Noah...