Rival Fatah and Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on Sunday traded accusations over armed clashes in the West Bank city of Qalqilya that killed six people.

Witnesses told Xinhua that three security forces loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas, two Hamas militants and the owner of a building in which the Hamas gunmen took refuge, were killed in the gunbattle that lasted for nine hours.

They said the clashes started shortly before midnight when two gunmen affiliated to al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas armed wing, escaped to the building and refused to surrender to Palestinian security forces.

Adnan al-Dameiri, spokesman for the Palestinian security forces in the West Bank, said in a statement that two Hamas gunmen opened fire at Palestinian security forces who were on regular security patrol in the city.

"Our security forces followed the two assailants, who escaped into a building and fortified into one of the apartments. Then they threw hand grenades and bombs and refused to surrender," said al-Dameiri.

"Our security forces found huge amounts of explosives in the building which is located in a populated neighborhood in Qalqilya," al-Dameiri said. He warned that "the security forces would never allow anyone to violate the law."

Ahmed Hilal, a witness in Qalqilya, said he heard security officers calling on the two militants to hand themselves over, adding that "after they refused, clashes lasted for several hours."

Qalqilya Governor Rebhi Khandaqji told Xinhua by telephone that the security forces brought the families of the two Hamas militants to convince then to stop opening fire and hand themselves over.

"The two militants refused and kept opening fire at the Palestinian security forces and killed three of them. The security forces besieged the building for nine hours until they managed to break into it and killed the two militants," said Khandaqji.

However, Abu Obeida, al-Qassam Brigades spokesman in Gaza, denied the security forces' claims, saying no one opened fire at the security forces loyal to Abbas.

"Abbas forces besieged the building in order to arrest or kill our militants," he told a news conference in Gaza.

"The attack on the house at midnight came after the security forces of Abbas arrested 100 Hamas members in the city of Qalqilya to gather information about the two militants," Abu Obeida said.

He held President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian government of Salam Fayyad responsible "not only for this crime, but for all the crimes against our men carried out by the Zionist occupation."

Palestinian observers believe that the latest clashes in the West Bank would have a negative impact on the inter-reconciliation dialogue which is expected to produce an agreement between Fatah and Hamas.

The five specialized committees are scheduled to start debates in early June to tackle the unresolved issues related to government formation, security reconstruction, elections, Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) reforms and reconciliation.

As soon as the five committees finalize their job, Egypt is set to invite leaders of all Palestinian factions to Cairo on July 5 in order to discuss the draft of a reconciliation deal that is expected to be signed on July 7.

As'ad Abu Sharkh, political science lecturer at al-Azhar University located in Gaza City, said he believes that what happened in the West Bank was an escalation by Hamas to prevent the two sides from reaching a reconciliation deal in July.

"Since Hamas took over Gaza, there was a decision by the PNA (Palestinian National Authority) to at least to prevent a similar takeover in the West Bank," said Abu Sharkh.

Hamas in Gaza authorized its members in the West Bank, especially its military wing, to respond to PNA's arrest attempts of Hamas members.

Last week, Hamas movement, in a leaflet, clearly called on its members and militants not to surrender "when Abbas security forces men come to arrest you."

"I think this incident augurs ill for escalation and more tension. We expect Hamas will respond in Gaza and arrest Fatah officials and members as the mosques and the megaphones have been drumming up against the PNA and Fayyad's government since Sunday morning," said Abu Sharkh.

He said "the dialogue is failing and is a waste of time, but I don't think Hamas or Fatah will withdraw from the dialogue because the Egyptians will press them to continue the dialogue."

(Xinhua News Agency June 1, 2009)