Private screening of film about late PA chairman disrupted by Hamas police who arrest attendees, threaten to seize media equipment.
By ASSOCIATED PRESSArafat(photo credit: AP)
A Palestinian lawmaker on Thursday said that Hamas police broke up a private screening of a film about Yasser Arafat on the sixth anniversary of the late Palestinian Authority chairman.Ashraf Jumma reported that police threatened to seize a screen and a VCR and arrested some of the more than two dozen attendees. Police also detained journalists, watched footage from the event and made them promise not to air it.RELATED: Kaffiyeh, radio, Koran to be displayed at Arafat museumThe lessons of Camp David II Turning the tables on ArafatHamas officials could not be reached for comment.In the West Bank, Abbas addressed thousands of flag-waving supporters near Arafat's grave, calling for national unity.On Monday Hamas announced its decision to ban Fatah supporters from holding a rally in the Gaza Strip to mark the anniversary of Yasser Arafat’s death.Hamas has done this every year since taking control of the Gaza Strip in the summer of 2007.Zakariya al-Agha, member of the Fatah Central Committee, said the Hamas government had informed him formally of the decision to ban the rally.Khaled Abu Toameh contributed to this report.
