Local authorities in the Gaza Strip banned the Fatah movement from holding a festival commemorating the death of Yasser Arafat, a senior party leader said Wednesday.
Zakarya Al-Aga said Hamas police refused to approve a request for the event.
Major Ayman Al-Batneejy, a police spokesman, said permission was denied on "security" grounds.
Hamas "cherishes the memory of the late president as a great national figure," he said, but the movement is afraid that "collaborators will take advantage of the event causing problems for both governments."