Islamic Hamas movement said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' security forces arrested on Friday seven of its members and three members of the Islamic Jihad movement.

The group said in a written statement sent to reporters that Abbas' security forces stormed the homes of its members, including two former prisoners recently released from Israeli prisons.

Hamas said the arrests were carried out in West Bank cities of Qalqilya, Tulkarem and Nablus, adding that three members of the Islamic Jihad were also arrested in the northern West Bank city of Jenin.

The arrests came one day after a security officer and two Hamas militants were killed in armed clashes erupted in Qalqilya. On Sunday, two militants and three security officers of Abbas were killed in similar clashes.

Gaza Hamas leaders and militants earlier called on Hamas members and militants in the West Bank to resist any attempt carried out by Abbas security forces, to arrest them.

Abbas security forces in the West Bank have been carrying out daily arrests over the past two years, since Hamas movement took control of the Gaza Strip in June 2007, which routed pro-Abbas forces from Gaza and cracked down on his Fatah movement.

Spokesman of the deposed Hamas government, Taher al-Noono, said in a press release sent to reporters that "what (Mahmoud) Abbas security forces did in Qalqilya is a real crime and an implementation of the Israeli occupation policy."

"What the illegal Abbas and (Salam) Fayyad government and their illegal security forces did in Qalqilya is a real crime that contradicts with the highest interests of our people," said al-Noono.

In light of the Qalqilya incidents, Hamas said it studies suspending its participation in the national dialogue that is due to resume in early July in Cairo to prepare for signing a draft of an inter-reconciliation agreement.

Deposed Prime Minister Ismail Haneya on Thursday said that the Egyptian-sponsored dialogue "has come to a crossroad due to the practices of the Palestinian security apparatuses in the West Bank."

"What happens in the West Bank is a serious deterioration in the national Palestinian ties, especially in the new philosophy of using armed action against men of resistance," said Haneya.

He called on Egypt for a fast interference "to stop harming the arms of resistance in the West Bank and prevent the collapse of the efforts to achieve a national reconciliation. What happened is completely serving the occupation (Israel)."

(Xinhua News Agency June 6, 2009)