PALESTINE:PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT Mahmoud Abbas yesterday suspended negotiations and contacts at all levels with Israel to protest at its air and ground offensive in Gaza.
Mr Abbas's spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina stated: "The Israeli government has decided to prosecute an injust war and openly slaughter our people. It bears sole responsibility for obstructing the peace process and the consequences of this decision." Mr Abu Rudeina also said the suspension would last until Israel ended its operation.
Mr Abbas had no option but to halt both negotiations and contacts to resolve day-to-day issues. Israel's military operations in Gaza have killed at least 106 Palestinians and wounded more than 300 since last Wednesday. The death toll for the five days is higher than the 91 fatalities in February. In January, 82 Gazans were killed. Mr Abbas said on Friday he was determined to reach a settlement with Israel through negotiations but admitted the Palestinians might use armed struggle if he failed.
Palestinians in the cities of Bethlehem, Ramallah and Hebron as well as East Jerusalem observed a strike and staged mass rallies. In Ramallah, Mr Abbas was branded a traitor for continuing to negotiate with Israel in spite of its refusal to carry out its "road map" obligations. These include lifting 567 West Bank barricades and checkpoints which restrict Palestinian freedom of movement and trade, ending closures of Palestinian population centres and halting the expansion of Israeli settlements.
Palestinians in Nablus are angry over repeated Israeli raids targeting the armed wing of Fatah, headed by Mr Abbas. In that city, 4,000 Palestinians calling for national unity marched with the flags of Fatah and its Hamas rival. In Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip, 1,000 Fatah supporters demonstrated against Israel while Hamas activists paraded in Gaza City. Recent polls show that more than 70 per cent of Palestinians want Fatah to resolve its dispute with Hamas through dialogue.
A majority argues that both Fatah and Hamas must be involved in negotiations with Israel if they are to be successful.
Israel's offensive could backfire because popular pressure in the West Bank could push Mr Abbas and Fatah to restart dialogue with Hamas. Last week, he accepted an offer by Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh to resume a mediation effort stalled since last September due to opposition by Fatah. Saudi Arabia and Egypt have been trying to convince Fatah to accept a deal for an end to Hamas rule in Gaza and fresh Palestinian elections.
Fatah began a feud with Hamas in January 2006 when the latter won a majority of seats. In June, Mr Abbas dissolved a Saudi-brokered government of national unity after Hamas seized control of Gaza. Since then, Mr Abbas has been under pressure from Israel and the US to turn down Hamas's offers of dialogue.
While most Palestinians believe Hamas should reach a ceasefire with Israel, Hamas conditions a halt to rocket fire and attacks on Israeli targets on an end to Israeli assassinations of Palestinians, raids into Palestinian areas and the lifting of Israel's siege and blockade of Gaza. Israel has rejected Hamas's terms, although a recent poll shows 64 per cent of Israelis support a negotiated ceasefire with Hamas as well as the exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit captured by Hamas affiliates in 2006. The fighting in Gaza led Egypt's intelligence chief Oman Suleiman to cancel discussions with Israeli leaders on the prisoner swap, but he could resume his mission when Israel ends its offensive. Once a prisoner exchange takes place, analysts believe Hamas and Israel could begin discussions on a ceasefire.