Atallah Abu Al-Subbah, a senior official of Islamist militant group Hamas, said belly dancing was "a form of striptease".

"I do not regard forms of pornography and striptease as culture. They are destructive," Abu al-Subbah said in an interview late on Thursday.

Since Hamas swept parliamentary elections in January, fears among secular Palestinians that the group might crack down on various forms of entertainment and the drinking of alcohol have largely proven unfounded. Hamas took office last week.

Abu al-Subbah did not say how he would seek to outlaw belly dancing, which used to be performed in public in Gaza before a Palestinian uprising against Israel began in 2000.

Some Palestinians expect Egyptian and Arab entertainers and singers to resume performances in Gaza, especially in the coming summer months, after the Palestinians took control of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt late last year.

Abu al-Subbah blamed Israel for the spread of pornographic movies in Gaza and the West Bank. He vowed to confront the vice by boosting the "culture of resistance" and Islamic values.

"Israel spreads pornographic movies among our people as a means to recruit them," the minister said.

Israel says it recruits Palestinians as informers but says inducements are money or administrative favours. It says the purpose of recruitment is to prevent militant attacks.

Abu al-Subbah said Palestinian teenagers were circulating cheap pirated pornographic movies among themselves.

"There are dirty hands behind it. They seek to destroy this people, Israel and its collaborators," he said.

He also said not everything on Palestinian television stations pleased him.

"We will have dialogue in the ministry here and with our people to agree on what is forbidden. There should be clear policies and clear legislation," he said.

Abu al-Subbah said Islamic culture was not limited to religion, and that it was open to other civilisations and allowed free expression.

The minister said he would not force his female employees to wear headscarves, but added he would try to persuade them to do so. Several female employees in his office wore make up and tight jeans, and did not cover their heads.

"I talk to them but we will never think to rule our people by the sword," he said.

Abu al-Subbah spent five terms in Israeli prisons and was jailed for his affiliation with Hamas by a previous Palestinian government during a crackdown on Islamist militants in 1996. - Reuters

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