HIGH NOON FOR FATAH V. HAMAS?

Fatah Preparing Showdown with Hamas - Khaled Abu Toameh
Fatah is preparing for a major showdown with Hamas in Gaza after the Muslim feast of Id al-Fitr, Palestinian sources said on Tuesday. PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has instructed his loyalists in Fatah and the PA security forces to be prepared for a "major security operation" in Gaza in the coming days, in the wake of the killing of five Fatah activists and security officers over the past few days. "Thousands of Palestinian policemen and Fatah gunmen will be deployed in the streets of the Gaza Strip after the feast," the sources said. Syria-based Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal was reported to have warned this week that Hamas would foil any attempt by Abbas to replace the Hamas government. (Jerusalem Post)