The PLO Executive Committee decided last night to adopt the meeting of the PLO factions in Gaza Strip as a national action commission and as a national institute and arm of the PLO in Gaza Strip, stressing that it will support the political and popular role of this commission and all PLO national and popular institutions. The PLO Executive Committee which convened last night in Ramallah in a meeting headed by President Abbas expressed pride in the masses uprising led by the PLO factions in Gaza Strip. The Committee affirmed that the uprising is a clear message that the masses totally reject transforming the mosques to serve political purposes and positions that try to accuse the other of disbelief in Islam and to stress on the constant national position of the PLO and its factions which is "religion is for God and the homeland is for everyone", and that religion must not be used to cover up for any political aspirations. The Committee said the masses went to pray in the public yards and squares to demand the end of the coup and to reject using the places of worship as a tool to promote the ideas of those who executed the coup.

In the meantime, the PLO factions in Gaza districts decided to continue to pray in the open air just like what happened in the last two weeks to protest against what happens inside the mosques in terms of incitement. Hamas sources said the tendency is towards banning such prayers. Whether a decision was taken by the Interior Ministry in the discharged government or the Executive Force to ban such prayers, Islam Shahwan, the spokesperson for the Executive Force, said the matter is under discussion at the highest levels and most probably a decision will be issued this morning and most probably a decision will be taken to ban such gatherings and prayers because the organizers from Fatah leadership in Gaza Strip violated the agreement. He added: The agreement that was reached between Fatah leadership and the Executive Force command stipulated that they will observe the prayers only and then the worshippers can return home without any marches but what happened in reality is a serious violation of the agreement which forced us to reconsider allowing Fatah members to observe such prayers in the public squares. The Interior Ministry issued a statement in Gaza Strip saying: the Ministry is looking seriously at the events in Gaza Strip as members of Fatah are trying to bring back chaos and such acts are implemented according to orders coming from Ramallah, especially the calls for strikes and marches of looting and damaging public property. The Ministry stressed: we will study the issue of banning such gatherings and political prayers observed by Fatah Movement in the public places. The sole aim of such gatherings is to damage private and public property and destabilize the conditions in Gaza Strip.

Khaled Abu Sharkh, Coordinator of the national forces in Gaza Strip, said the PLO factions met yesterday at Fatah Headquarters and decided to continue with the Friday prayers in public squares. He said they will organize a march next Wednesday to protest against the measures of oppression used against the worshipers. The meeting also discussed the issue of damaging private and public property and banned such acts in the future.

The General Union of Palestinian Women in Gaza Districts also decided to organize a massive march next Tuesday to protest against all oppression used against the masses.

In the meantime, Fatah Movement accused yesterday Qatari al-Jazeera TV of exercising the policy of bias against Fatah and that al-Jazeera TV should be named "al-Aqsa -2" TV in reference to al-Aqsa TV owned by Hamas in Gaza Strip. Fatah said in a statement: al-Jazeera TV is not only adopting the story of Hamas militias but is also an accessory in fabricating lies and false information which violates the profession ethics. The statement goes on: anyone watching al-Jazeera TV can see the poisonous programs broadcast on this channel aiming to distort the image of the PNA and Fatah Movement which reflects the bad intentions of al-Jazeera TV Administration in Doha against the Palestinian national interests. This channel produced the photos of what happened in Gaza Strip which is far away from the truth and this is a dangerous development in the way this channel acts. The statement said al-Jazeera accepted to portray the victims in Gaza Strip as rioters and looters against an alleged legitimacy.

Published at Al Ayyam NewsPaper on September 2, 2007