Senior Fatah official Jibril Rajoub has come under criticism on the Palestinian Authority street for calling PA Christians the "Merry Christmas bunch" during an interview with Egyptian television in which he cited some of them for voting for Hamas about 10 years. ago, according to Kol Yisrael government radio. Fatah is worried, among other things, about losing the Christian vote in the upcoming local elections.
The PA Olympic Committee Chairman was not only criticized by Christians. Islamic Jihad called the comments irresponsible and inappropriate "against our Christian brothers". Fatah's branch in Bethlehem - the largest concentration of Christians in Judea and Samaria - called on him to apologize. The Popular Front said there would be a score to settle.