The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) discovered and dismantled cells for Islamic Hamas movement in the West Bank, a spokesman for the Palestinian security services said on Sunday.

The security forces, loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah party, "seized US$8.5 million from Hamas members who had designated the money to rebuild the movement's security apparatus in the West Bank," the spokesman Adnan al-Dumiri told Xinhua.

The spokesman has not revealed any names or places from where Hamas activists were arrested. But in the cities of Nablus, Hebronand Qalqilya, "tens of explosive devices and weapons were found," he added.

In recent months, the cells members used "the illegal money" to buy apartments, houses and real estates to carry out their mission, al-Dumiri said.

Since 2000, Israeli raids in the West Bank have weakened the Islamic movement by assassinating or arresting its prominent military and political activists. But for two years, pro-Abbas forces have been hunting down Hamas supporters and activists in response to Hamas' violent takeover of the Gaza Strip.

"Hamas seeks to shake the security, create disorder and fuel a civil war," al-Dumiri said. "They also want to create security pluralism rather than political multiplicities."

Earlier, Tayeb Abdel Rahim, secretary-general of the Palestinian presidency, accused Hamas of planning to assassinate senior PNA officials in the West Bank where Fatah holds sway.

Meanwhile, Hamas has completely rejected al-Dumiri's statements, considering them false accusations.

"These claims aim at justifying the crackdown campaigns against Hamas to uproot it in the West Bank," Fawzi Barhoum, a spokesman for Hamas, told Xinhua.

He also voiced fears that al-Dumiri's statements "come in prelude to another campaign to avoid releasing Hamas' prisoners under any political understanding."

(Xinhua News Agency July 6, 2009)