'Victory is coming,' Abbas tells jubilant crowds

Fatah speeches were cancelled after crowds stormed the stage Gaza – Mohammed Habib "Victory is coming and we will meet you in Gaza very soon," Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told jubilant crowds at Fatah’s 48th anniversary celebrations, the first to be held in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip since the 2007 divisions. One Hamas spokesperson called the event “a step on the route to recovering national unity.” However the heavily-attended rally in Gaza City's al-Saraya Square had to be shut down after speeches by Abbas and leading Fatah official Nabil Shaath, after crowds stormed the stage. Speeches by other members were cancelled following crowd control difficulties. Keynote speaker PA President Abbas spoke to crowds via live video feed. "We renew our pledge to our blessed martyrs to continue on the path of Brother Abu Ammar [former Palestinian President Yasser Arafat] and his comrades, the leaders in all the factions of this struggle," Abbas said. “There is no alternative to unity.” The President also paid homage to the Gaza Strip's links with Fatah, noting that "the first kernel of Fatah" emerged from the coastal strip eight years before its 1965 establishment celebrated at the festival. Abbas went on to salute the people of Gaza, “the patient, courageous ones who have taken on burden and pain to preserve the Palestinian national character.” The Palestinian Authority President echoed earlier remarks made by Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh on the sweeping mood of Palestinian unity. "If it were not for unity under this organisation, we would not have been able to transform the Palestinian cause from a state of misery to a top priority on the world stage," he said. “Our cause has become a symbol of rebellion against injustice and tyranny," he added. "Our people are now living under occupation and blockade as our eyes gaze and our hearts direct themselves towards Jerusalem, currently being subjected to the most impudent settlement campaign in which the occupiers race against time, believing the moment to be an opportunity," Abbas declared. Leading Fatah official and Central Committee member Nabil Shaath also welcomed the celebration, warning "Israelis and their conspirators, who see this great public outpouring for Fatah and say that this people can never be defeated." "The Israeli occupation and the western conspirators sought to fell the Palestinian people, break its will and weaken its resolve, but these masses have turned out to reaffirm that they are steadfast and patient until victory is realised," he declared. Shaath celebrated 2012 as a year that saw a perceived victory of the Palestinian resistance in the recent Gaza conflict and Palestine’s recognition at the United Nations Security Council. Fatah’s anniversary “would not have succeeded,” he argued, “if not for the triumphs achieved by the Palestinian people at the end of 2012.” Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zahri later revealed that Fatah had asked the Islamist movement's delegation not to attend the festival due to "chaos" and "loss of control" when celebrants stormed the stage. "Hamas has treated this festival as one of national unity,” Zahri said. “An achievement for it as much as it is an achievement for Fatah.”  It was a “step on the route to recovering national unity," he claimed. Fatah released an official statement celebrating the organisation’s history to formally mark its 48th anniversary.