Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Friday 21 July 2017
Morocco tension:
Power-sharing deal between foes taking shape in Gaza 83 police, civilians

By F. AKRAM injured in protest
M. DARAGHMEH RABAT, Morocco (AP) —
Associated Press Clashes between police
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) and Moroccan protesters
— A power-sharing deal Thursday left at least 83 in-
between two former arch jured in clouds of tear gas
foes is slowly taking shape and running battles at an
in Gaza and could lead to unauthorized demonstra-
big changes in the Hamas- tion over inequality and
ruled territory, including an corruption.
easing of a decade-long Moroccans have in recent
border blockade. days demonstrated in Ra-
In the latest sign that the bat and as far away as
Egypt-backed under- Amsterdam to show their
standings are moving for- support for the protesters
ward, Hamas permitted who gathered Thursday
more than 2,000 support- in El Hoceima, a city that
ers of its former nemesis, has become a symbol for
Mohammed Dahlan, to rising public anger.Their Hi-
stage a rally in Gaza City rak protest movement has
on Thursday. They held up become the biggest chal-
banners with large photos lenge to the kingdom, a
of the ex-Gaza strongman key U.S. ally known for its
and signs reading, “Thank stability, since the Arab
you, Dahlan.” Dahlan Hundreds of supporters of exiled former Gaza strongman Mohammed Dahlan carry a banner with Spring in 2011 overthrew
backers also opened an his picture during a protest against metal detectors Israel erected at the Al-Aqsa Mosque com- longstanding regimes else-
office in Gaza last month pound in Jerusalem, in Gaza City, Thursday, July 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Adel Hana) where in the region.
as a springboard for po- Moroccan activist leader
litical activity and began imposed the closure af- Abbas, who administers found a way to break the Nasser Zefzafi called for a
disbursing $2 million in Dah- ter Hamas seized Gaza in autonomous West Bank long-standing diplomatic protest in El Hoceima on
lan-procured aid from the a violent 2007 takeover enclaves, has tried to ne- impasse.“The expected July 20 — the anniversary of
United Arab Emirates to that included battles with gotiate a broader state- changes in Gaza are pos- an uprising against Spanish
Gaza’s poor. forces loyal to Dahlan. hood deal with Israel, but ing a big threat to the Pal- colonizers — before his ar-
All involved appear to The three-way agreement his internationally backed estinian national project,” rest last month in a dramat-
benefit from the new deal aims to revive Gaza’s bat- efforts ran aground almost said analyst Ali Jerbawi, a ic manhunt.
for Gaza, described in de- tered economy and re- a decade ago, in part be- former minister in Abbas’ Authorities banned Thurs-
tail by key players. store a sense of normalcy cause of continued Israeli self-rule government. day’s demonstration for
— Egypt, which is battling for 2 million Gazans, who settlement expansion in The emerging Dahlan- administrative reasons, but
Islamic extremist insurgents have largely been barred east Jerusalem and the Hamas agreement was crowds gathered anyway.
in the Sinai Peninsula next from travel and trade for West Bank. Israel’s hard- made possible, in part, by Police ringed the city cen-
to Gaza, hopes to contain the past decade and have line government has said it the election of Yehiyeh ter and fired tear gas to
the Islamic militant Hamas endured rolling power cuts, would not withdraw to the Sinwar as the new Hamas disperse crowds, then held
through new security ar- most recently of up to 20 pre-1967 lines in the West chief in Gaza in March. running battles with pro-
rangements. hours a day. Bank or give up Israeli-an- Dahlan, 55, and Sinwar, 54, testers who scattered into
— Dahlan, forced into exile Yet a stable Palestinian nexed east Jerusalem. have known each other side streets, according to
after falling out with Pales- “mini-state” in Gaza could If Gaza stabilizes, Israel since boyhood. Both grew Moroccan media reports.
tinian President Mahmoud undermine long-standing could argue that Palestin- up in the same neighbor- Internet access in the city
Abbas in 2010, is poised to Palestinian ambitions to ians already have a state hood of southern Gaza’s was restricted for hours.
launch a comeback and set up an entity that is also there and face less inter- Khan Younis refugee The government said in a
advance his Palestinian meant to include the West national pressure to negoti- camp, attended the same statement that masked
leadership ambitions. Bank and east Jerusalem. ate a broader peace deal. U.N. school and later the protesters hurled projectiles
— Hamas gets a chance Israel, which captured The Trump administration territory’s Islamic Univer- at police. It said 11 protest-
to prolong its rule with a those territories in the 1967 promised to try to revive sity, said Ahmed Yousef, a ers were hospitalized and
promised easing of Ga- Mideast war, withdrew from statehood negotiations, former Hamas official who 72 police officers injured.
za’s stifling border block- Gaza in 2005, but keeps a but expectations are low also grew up in southern Protesters are demanding
ade. Egypt and Israel had tight grip on the rest. and there’s no sign the U.S. Gaza.q government investment in

Ambush near Syrian capital kills 28 govt troops the impoverished northern
Rif region, and justice for
a fish vendor crushed by a
garbage compactor last
BEIRUT (AP) — A Syrian mili- Britain-based Syrian Ob- ian government forces and Abbas, who was the first year while trying to save
tary unit was ambushed on servatory for Human Rights their allies have been trying woman to take up the post fish that officials had con-
Thursday by insurgent near said the soldiers and allied to storm eastern suburbs in June 2016, was sacked fiscated.
the capital, Damascus, trig- gunmen were ambushed of Damascus, known as because of her “undemo- The death unleashed pro-
gering a firefight that killed in the rebel-held village of eastern Ghouta, but have cratic practices.”It added tests that have simmered
28 government troops, Rihan east of Damascus. struggled to penetrate reb- that she repeatedly pre- for months.The govern-
activists said.The ambush Anas al-Dimashqi, an op- el defenses. Also on Thurs- vented lawmakers from ment has promised devel-
followed days of intense position activist based in day, Syria’s rubber-stamp speaking and unlawfully opment projects for the
fighting as rebel-held sub- the area, and the Observa- Parliament discharged its disregarded the opinion of region, which has a long
urbs of the Syrian capital tory said the ambush killed speaker, Hadyiah Abbas, most of the house mem- history of rebellion against
have come under a gov- at least 28 troops and pro- from her post with a major- bers. No other details were Morocco’s leaders.q
ernment offensive. The government gunmen. Syr- ity vote. A statement said immediately released. q