Palestina

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM — A Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip would deal a blow to a US peace push founded on the premise Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would be capable of reining in fighters and Israel would embrace him as a partner.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) — A former UN Middle East envoy quit his job last month making bitter allegations that UN policy in the region had failed because it was subservient to US and Israeli interests, according to a leaked document.

BEIRUT (AP) — Angry mourners blamed Syria and vented anger at its ally Hizbollah Thursday as the crowd laid to rest Lebanese legislator Walid Eido, the latest victim of a wave of assassinations of anti-Syrian figures.

AMMAN (Petra) — His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday called for taking all possible measures to stop inter-Palestinian fighting and bring to an end bloodshed and the state of chaos prevailing in the Gaza Strip.

GAZA CITY (AFP) — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared a state of emergency and sacked the government on Thursday as Hamas appeared set to seize full control of the Gaza Strip after days of ferocious gunbattles.

Hamas militants have hailed a series of military victories over rivals Fatah in the Gaza Strip as a new “liberation” of the territory.

Hamas militants overran the main security headquarters of the Fatah organization in the Gaza Strip on Thursday and targeted remaining key facilities under Fatah control.

GAZA, June 13 (Xinhua) — Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) announced on Wednesday that they took over the border between Gaza Strip and Egypt as part of their campaign to capture Palestinian security posts.

TEL AVIV (AFP) — Veteran statesman Shimon Peres was elected president of Israel on Wednesday, finally winning his first vote for top office and crowning a record-breaking career spanning more than half a century.

HAMAS FIGHTERS LAUNCHED a fierce offensive on Gaza City yesterday, attacking the main security bases and the president’s compound with mortars and rockets and sending some of the rival Fateh forces fleeing in disarray as the Islamic group appeared close to taking over the entire Gaza Strip.