PNA Announces to Close Hamas, Islamic Jihad Offices

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, December 13, 2001

PNA Announces to Close Hamas, Islamic Jihad Offices

The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) announced Wednesday night to close all the offices of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and the Islamic Jihad (Holy War), Palestinian security sources said.

The PNA will shut down the two radical groups' offices in all fields and all sectors and in the areas under its control, the sources said.

The decision, taken during a meeting of the Palestinian leadership, was understandably a response to a call of the international community.

The European Union (EU), which plays an active role in helping defuse tensions between the Palestinians and Israel, has labeled the two Palestinian groups as "terrorist networks" and urged Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to dismantle them.

The EU is the largest donor to the Palestinians.

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