Palestinian forces shut "Hamas fronts" in Hebron

HEBRON, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s forces shut down four Islamic charities and two photocopying shops in the West Bank city of Hebron on Friday for alleged ties to the rival Hamas faction, a security source said. The crackdown in Hebron followed similar actions in other areas of the Israeli-occupied West Bank by Abbas, who has been pursuing a law-and-order drive since breaking with Hamas last year over the Islamists’ violent seizure of the Gaza Strip. Abbas is under pressure to assert control in the West Bank so U.S.-sponsored talks with Israel can progress. Abbas’s administration complains that continued Israeli raids against suspected Palestinian militants undermine his credibility. A Palestinian security source said the four Hebron charities that were closed were "linked to Hamas... [read full story]