Palestinian sources said the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, decided to cancel a rally in the Yarmouk refugee camp to commemorate its martyrs.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command headed by Ahmed Jibril, cancelled a similar rally to mark the assassination of Jibril's son, Jihad, who was killed last year in Beirut.
The moves came as part of measures by the Damascus-based Palestinian factions following the recent visit of U.S. State Secretary Colin Powell to Syria when he requested the Syrian authorities cease support of these hard-line groups which oppose peace with Israel.
The sources told United Press International Palestinian officials in Damascus "have stopped giving news interviews" and "are no more coming to their offices which returned to be normal apartments used for internal activities of every group after they were open to visitors, journalists and diplomats."
They said "such a voluntary move" by the Palestinian groups was meant "to ease the pressure on Syria."
Powell has requested Syrian President Bashar Assad to close the offices of groups such Hamas and Islamic Jihad to prevent them from obstructing efforts to move forward with the "road map" for peace in the Middle East.
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