Palestinian Factions Battle Each Other Despite Unity Deal

Tensions between members of the Islamist terror militia Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, dominated by the Fatah faction of President Mahmoud Abbas, have boiled over in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank this week despite a recently announced government of national unity. The many problems which have plagued the newborn unity government include a policy by the PA to not add Hamas employees in the Strip to its payroll, leaving over 40,000 civil servants, mostly Hamas security personnel, without a paycheck. Fistfights broke out at several banks in the Gaza Strip in recent days as employees of Fatah withdrew money from their accounts following the transfer of their salaries while their Hamas counterparts angrily watched.Read More