 The Palestinian Authority, under pressure to crack down on militants, tried to convince Islamic Jihad of committing to a fragile truce, as Israel faced the widest protest so far against the planned pullout from the Gaza Strip. Speaking to reporters about ongoing talks between the PA and Islamic Jihad, presidential national security adviser Jibril Rajjoub said: "We have been engaged in a serious dialogue with Islamic Jihad to put an end to the attacks which go against our national interests." He added: "The Palestinian Authority is still committed to the truce and we will not accept any violation of the agreement." Islamic Jihad and the other main Palestinian militant factions began observing a de facto truce at the beginning of the year but Islamic Jihad's commitment has been called into doubt after being involved in at least two deadly attacks in recent days. |