Hamas Leader Warns Israel Not to Attack

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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) -- With his group firmly in power in Gaza, Hamas official Mahmoud Zahar said Wednesday the radical Islamic movement doesn't want trouble with Israel, but warned it won't be the Jewish state's "protector" and threatened retaliation for attacks on militants.

Zahar also held out the prospect of dialogue with his vanquished Fatah rivals, but stressed that key Fatah figures are "not welcome" in Gaza and will face trial if they return. He also threatened attacks on Fatah targets in the West Bank, where Fatah holds sway.

A fiery hard-liner with close ties to the Hamas military wing who is quickly emerging as the most powerful man in Gaza, Zahar said the group has no intention of relinquishing control, whether or not the international community accepts it.

"Gaza is to some extent free. What will happen, we are going to help our people here and in the West Bank," he said in an interview with The Associated Press, speaking in English.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PALESTINIANS_HAMAS_LEADER?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-06-20-16-47-10

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1. Yet another strong man emerges...

No wonder so many people consider the Palestinian cause lost...

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2. Few Gazans turn in weapons as Hamas deadline for arms collection expires

Few Gazans turned in their weapons on Thursday, as a Hamas deadline for arms collection expired and the group threatened harsh punishment for those who kept their guns stashed at home.

In chaotic Gaza, where defeated Fatah militants are hiding in their homes in fear of retribution and clan grudges can flare into open warfare at any moment, few believe Hamas will recover even a fraction of the estimated 400,000 firearms - nearly one for every three residents of Gaza.

Some Fatah fighters said they removed their weapons from their houses so Hamas gunmen would not find them when they conducted searches. Some hid their weapons in holes in the ground. One man said he buried his weapon beneath the family chicken coop. Others said they threw their rifles into the sea, rather than risk having them fall into Hamas hands.

"I prefer to shoot myself rather than give them my gun," said a 33-year-old Fatah-affiliated security officer who gave his name only as Abu Subhi for fear of retaliation. "I don't trust them at all."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/873736.html