Fatah body accuses Hamas of stirring civil war

GAZA, Apr 21 (Reuters) A key body of the Fatah faction of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas today accused the political leader of Hamas of trying to provoke civil war, heightening tensions sparked by a senior security appointment.

At a rally earlier in Damascus, exiled Hamas politburo chief Khaled Meshaal accused some Fatah leaders of assisting a Western campaign to isolate the new Hamas government, which took office in March after trouncing Fatah in elections in January.

The Fatah Revolutionary Council, a key decision-making body within the faction, said in a statement: ''We view gravely the speech by Khaled Meshaal. We can only describe the speech as sedition that aims to cause tension in the Palestinian field and instigate a civil war upon orders from his masters.'' Reuters SC VP0248