Palestinian security arrest Hamas rivals

Palestinian security forces arrested dozens of Hamas members in overnight raids in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the largest security crackdown since 2007, officials said.

Adnan Al-Dmairi, security spokesman for the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, said the Hamas men had planned “to sow chaos” but he gave no specifics charges.

Islamist Hamas controls the Gaza Strip and is a rival of Fatah, the group headed by Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas which is dominant in the West Bank. Though Abbas formally reconciled with Hamas last year to form a unity government, distrust remains.