Hamas and Islamic Jihad say Fatah has started a massive arrest operation against their members in the West Bank, amid reconciliation talks.
Islamic Jihad said on Wednesday that 30 members of the movement were arrested by security forces loyal to Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction in recent days.
The movement accused Fatah of attempting to undermine reconciliation talks between Fatah and Hamas in the Egyptian capital of Cairo.
"It is uprising that Authority apparatuses are carrying out these arrests at the time where the Ramallah government claims that it wants the Cairo dialogue to succeed," Abu al-Qassem, an Islamic Jihad senior member said.
The arrest operation was more extensive in Jenin and Tulkarem and the Jihad members were reportedly nabbed at their homes or near mosques.
Hamas also said the Palestinian Authority has arrested 39 members of the movement including the son of a parliamentarian.
According to the movement, the arrests were made in Bethlehem, Ramallah, Qalqiliya, and the Jenin, Tulkarem, and al-Khalil areas.
The arrests were made while Fatah and Hamas resumed their talks in Cairo in a bid to form a national unity government. Hamas demanded on Wednesday that Fatah respect the results of the 2006 parliamentary elections and allow Hamas to choose the next prime minister.
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