Fatah holds big Gaza rally amid Hamas tensions

GAZA, Jan 7 (Reuters) Tens of thousands of supporters of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah rallied in Gaza today in a show of force to the governing Hamas movement in the Islamists' stronghold.

The two factions have been locked in a violent power struggle that some Palestinians fear could spark civil war.

''We do not want a civil war and we reject civil war. But I tell you that our blood is not an open target for anyone,'' senior Abbas aide Tayeb Abdel-Rahim said in a speech on behalf of the president.

The rally in Gaza's main stadium was called to mark the 42nd anniversary of the once dominant Fatah movement, which suffered a surprise loss to Hamas in parliamentary elections a year ago.

Witnesses put the crowd at tens of thousands and said it was one of the biggest Fatah rallies in years in the Gaza Strip.

It comes a day after Abbas declared illegal a Hamas security force in the strip. That drew a sharp response from the Islamists and a vow by its Executive Force to double its size to 12,000 personnel.

Fatah strongman and former security chief Mohammad Dahlan taunted Hamas during his speech, telling bodyguards to move away. ''I need no one ... let Hamas shoot me,'' Dahlan said, as Fatah gunmen in the crowd fired rifles into the air.

Abdel-Rahim said Palestinians should focus their battle on Israel, not fight each other.

''Our differences must remain with the occupation, which is bulldozing our land and killing our people,'' he said.

Hamas created its Executive Force after forming a government last March and had defied a previous order by Abbas to integrate personnel into other security services.

At a news conference with other militant groups allied to the Islamists, Hamas armed wing spokesman Abu Ubaida warned against any attempt to weaken the force.

''Those who receive arms from the Americans are the ones who are responsible for the bloodshed,'' Abu Ubaida said.

Western governments want the moderate Abbas to triumph over Hamas, which the United States and Israel regard as a terrorist group. The Bush administration will provide 86 million dollars to strengthen security forces loyal to Abbas, according to documents seen by Reuters on Friday.

Internal tensions have been heightened by Abbas's call last month for fresh elections to break a political deadlock with Hamas after the two sides failed to form a unity government.

Reuters SY DB1952