Shi'a, Shi'a

(13 Nov) - Radio France Inter reported that Fatah supporters in Gaza insulted Hamas by calling them Shi'a. This was confirmed by a report in The New York Times.

The Hamas police confiscated Fatah flags and posters of Mr. Arafat from the cars of Fatah supporters, and rally participants shouted provocative slogans against the Islamist group, including “Shia, Shia,” in reference to support Hamas gets from mostly Shiite Iran. A vast majority of Palestinians are Sunni Muslims. ('6 Palestinians Killed in Gaza at Fatah Rally', 13 Nov 2007)

Update: the “Shi'a, Shi'a” cry was shown in the documentary 'Inside Hamas', shown on Channel 4, 10 Feb 2008, without any comment apart from the translation in the caption, “Shiite, Shiite”.