PA, Hamas fear Gaddafi will attack Palestinians in Libya

Palestinians on Thursday expressed fear that Muammar Gaddafi would turn against thousands of Palestinians living in Libya under the pretext they are helping his opponents.The concern came in response to charges made by Gaddafi and his son Seif al-Islam to the effect that Arabs living in Libya were involved in the fighting against the government.RELATED:Gaddafi blames Osama bin Laden for unrest in LibyaInt'l community pressures Gaddafi to step downBoth the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas government have called on neighboring Arab countries to intervene to prevent Gaddafi from carrying out “massacres” against Palestinians in Libya.The number of Palestinians living in Libya is not known. But various Palestinian sources have estimated their number at several thousand.The PA on Thursday welcomed Israel’s decision to allow 300 Palestinians who fled Libya recently to return to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.“President Mahmoud Abbas appreciates this step and considers it a move in the right direction,” a senior PA official in Ramallah said.The PA was “deeply concerned” about the fate of thousands of Palestinians who are still in Libya, the official said.