Palestinian policemen who support Fatah marched in great numbers in the Gaza Strip Thursday to protest the deployment of 3,000 new security officials loyal to Hamas.
Abbas, who vetoed the creation of the new force earlier this month, demanded that it be removed from the streets of the Gaza Strip immediately. However, Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas said the 3,000-man unit is legal and will remain in place.
No confrontations were reported on Thursday as the two forces marched near each other. Fatah police chanted 'Jerusalem! The president! The homeland!' as they passed members of the new force on the streets.
Meanwhile, Israel has announced that Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni will meet with Abbas this coming Sunday. This would be the first high level meeting between an Israeli government official and Abbas since Hamas took control of the government in March. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has indicated he will meet with Abbas shortly after his return from meetings in Washington later this month.
Tensions between Hamas and Fatah remain high and the new security force is a direct challenge to Abbas' power. Fighting between the two factions broke out earlier this week including deadly drive-by ambushes against two Hamas gunmen in Gaza earlier this week.
