Politicians held as Israel cracks down on Hamas raids

Israeli troops have arrested 24 Hamas activists in Nablus and other West Bank towns, with many of those grabbed from their beds politicians and intellectuals rather than the gunmen usually snared in the nightly raids by Israel since Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in June.

Among those rounded up was Ahmed al-Hajj Ali, a member of the Palestinian legislative council, bringing to 46 the number of MPs now in Israeli custody.

The swoop delivered a political, as much as a military, message. It came hours after at least 200,000 Hamas supporters rallied in Gaza to celebrate the Islamic movement's 20th anniversary, and the day before a conference of donor nations gathered in Paris to drum up financial support for the more pragmatic West Bank administration of Mahmoud Abbas.

Ismail Haniyeh, the deposed Hamas Prime Minister, told demonstrators that Hamas would pursue "resistance" as the only way to liberate Palestine.

Mark Regev, a spokes-man for the Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, said: "We cannot let Hamas take the initiative and allow them to set the agenda. Hamas poses the most serious single threat to the political process. As we saw from their statements on Saturday, they make no secret of their desire to see the process of reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians fail, and they will do everything in their power to torpedo that process."

Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman, accused President Abbas and his chief negotiator, Salam Fayyad, of collaborating with Israel in hunting down Hamas activists and fighters.

"We will not remain silent watching the treason of Fayyad's delegation of disgrace, which meets Israelis day and night to destroy Gaza and liquidate Hamas," he said.

Ahead of the donors' conference, the European Union indicated last week that it would pledge $650m (320m) next year towards the building of a Palestinian state. The United States is expected to promise about $500m. The European Commission insisted, however, that it was essential that Arab countries share the burden. Saudi Arabia and other oil-rich Gulf states have not yet committed themselves.

Israel is supporting Tony Blair's efforts to kick-start the Palestinian economy, but has resisted his call to allow the necessary freedom of movement. Checkpoints, it maintains, are essential for its own security, despite complaints of abuse.

A survey, leaked yesterdayto Tel-Aviv daily Yediot Ahronot, found one in four West Bank soldiers had encountered acts of abuse against Palestinian civilians at roadblocks.