Thousands of Palestinians have attended a rare Hamas rally in the city of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank celebrating the 25th anniversary of the group's founding and its recent "victory" over Israel in Gaza.The rally is the first time that the West Bank's ruling Palestinian Authority (PA), which is dominated by Hamas rival Fatah, has allowed such a gathering since 2007.

It comes as the two movements take tentative steps towards restarting a reconciliation process.

"Our message is that Hamas is here, on the ground and in the heart of our people," Hamas MP Hosni al-Burini told the AFP news agency.[/B]

Yussef Iqtishaat, a teenager attending the rally with his family, was among those eagerly brandishing the movement's flag.

"It's a great day thanks to the victory in Gaza," he told AFP.

In November, Hamas and other Palestinian factions fought an eight-day conflict with Israel that left 174 Palestinians and six Israelis dead and ended with an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire.

[B]Reconciliation
Among those speaking at the Nablus rally was Amin Maqbul, the secretary-general of Fatah's revolutionary council, who saluted the rival movement.

"Hamas has given thousands of martyrs, prisoners and wounded for Palestine," he said, adding that Fatah head and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would soon hold reconciliation talks with Hamas's chief-in-exile.

"There will soon be a meeting in Cairo between Abu Mazen [Abbas] and Khaled Meshaal to complete the reconciliation and this will be a historic day," he assured the audience.

The rally was a rare opportunity for Hamas to display its support in the West Bank, where the PA has clamped down on the rival group.

The longtime rivalry between the two Palestinian movements boiled over in 2007, a year after Hamas won a surprise victory over Fatah in legislative elections.

Armed members of the two groups battled in Gaza, with Hamas eventually routing Fatah and taking control of the coastal territory, while the PA has continued to rule the West Bank.

Ribuan orang bergabung dalam aksi massa pertama dan terbesar yang digelar Hamas di Tepi Barat sejak 2007.

Para pendemo di kota Nablus merayakan 25 tahun terciptanya kelompok militan Islamis yang menguasai Jalur Gaza ini.Ini merupakan yang pertama dalam lima tahun setelah Otoritas Palestina, yang memerintah Tepi Barat, mengijinkan Hamas menggelar sebuah aksi massa.

Kebijakan ini dipandang sebagai tanda bahwa persekutuan diantara kedua belah pihak - Hamas dan Fatah - semakin membaik.

Sebelumnya perpecahan terjadi antara Fatah selaku penguasa Otoritas Palestina dengan Hamas yang memenangkan pemilu tahun 2006 dan berkuasa di Gaza setahun kemudian.

Tetapi sejumlah pengamat menilai ada indikasi bahwa tensi diantara faksi telah berkurang baru-baru ini, terutama setelah konflik delapan hari antara Hamas dan Israel bulan lalu.

Fatah turut serta

Pekan lalu, para pemimpin Fatah menghadiri aksi massa yang digelar saat pemimpin politik Hamas Khaled Meshaal untuk pertama kalinya mengunjungi Gaza.

Dalam aksi massa Kamis (13/12), ribuan pendukung Hamas turun ke jalan-jalan kota Nablus dengan membawa spanduk bertuliskan ''Hamas, kalian adalah senjata dan kami adalah amunisinya,'' demikian laporan kantor berita AFP.

Pemimpin Fatah Amin Makboul memuji Hamas untuk ''keteguhan'' dalam pertempuran terakhir dengan Israel.

"Kemenangan di Gaza adalah kemenangan besar bagi semua rakyat Palestina,'' katanya dalam aksi di Nablus.

Sementara itu di Hebron, ribuan pendemo ikut dalam prosesi pemakaman seorang remaja yang tewas akibat ditembak penjaga perbatasan Israel.

Polisi mengatakan remaja lelaki itu menyerang penjaga dan mengancamnya dengan apa yang kemudian ketahui sebagai pistol tiruan.