Hamas, Fatah agree to no rallies during UN bid

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Hamas and Fatah parties in the Gaza Strip have agreed not to take to the streets in an attempt to avoid a split as Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has headed to New York to seek state recognition at the UN.An official source in Hamas said the agreement to avoid any steps that could once again divide the Palestinians came in the framework of safeguarding the Palestinian reconciliation deal that ended a four-year split between the two factions.The parties agreed that there would be no rallies for or against Abbas’s bid for full membership in the UN this month.The official also sternly denied media reports pertaining to statements by senior Hamas official Salah al-Bardawil that the Government in Gaza would thwart popular functions supporting the UN bid.Meanwhile, deputy prime minister Mohammed Awad has called on Abbas to provide a legal explanation for the move with the UN detailing how the move would affect such central issues as the Palestinians’ right of return./129