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Abbas urges end to violence
 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for an end to a flare-up in violence in the Gaza Strip, saying a cease-fire with Israel is in the best interests of all parties. Abbas' comments came as Palestinian militants, including some affiliated with Abbas' ruling Fatah Party, fired on a Jewish settlement in a third straight day of fighting, provoking Israeli threats of retaliation. A Palestinian militant was killed by Israeli forces in an abortive assault on a Jewish settlement. "I hope that all the parties will stick to the truce and [the violence] will not escalate," Abbas said of the cease-fire, which he declared with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on February 8. "Some incidents are taking place here and there, but I hope that we can contain and control all these incidents because the truce is in our interest and in the Israeli interest. So we have to preserve it," he said at the end of a two-day visit to India.The Palestinian militants' attempted infiltration of Kfar Darom, deeply opposed to Israel's impending pullout from the territory, was claimed by three separate militant groups - Hamas, the Popular Resistance Committee and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades. One gunman was killed and the other two escaped, one of whom was wounded, according to Palestinian medics. Claiming the attack, the three militant groups named the dead man as Mohammad Barakeh, 23, a member of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas. Their joint statement pledged to respect the informal truce but said they were determined to "avenge Israeli crimes." Posted by: Fred 2005-05-21 |
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