Special report: Palestine-Israel Relations    

    RAMALLAH, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Fatah Sunday called on Hamas to end Gaza crackdown against its leaders and members and to release all the political prisoners it holds to pave the way for a national dialogue.

    "We call for immediate halting of all incidents in the enduring Gaza Strip and release all the abducted supporters without any condition or restriction," said Fehmi al-Za'arrier, a Fatah spokesman in the West Bank.

    If Hamas does not choose one of these two options, it will face the revenge of banning its activities in the West Bank, al-Za'arrier added.

    Hamas launched a crackdown against Fatah in the Gaza Strip following a beachside explosion on July 25 that killed a girl and five Hamas members.

    The crackdown included the arrest of hundreds of Fatah activists and leaders, shutting down Fatah organizations and attacking a pro-Fatah clan.

    In response, Fatah arrested a number of Hamas people in the West Bank, but Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is also the Fatah chief, ordered their release. Hamas says only four out of some 200 Hamas members in the West Bank were freed.

    Meanwhile, an Islamic Jihad leader Naffez Azzam said the internal Palestinian tension obstructs any effort to resume inter-Palestinian dialogue and boosts the split between Gaza and the West Bank.

    The split was reinforced last summer when Hamas drove out pro-Abbas forces and took over the Gaza Strip.