Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas agreed to meet in the near future amid a surge in inter-Palestinian fighting that has left one policemen dead. Abbas called Sharon with greetings for the Jewish New Year, which starts at sundown today. Sharon expressed best wishes for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, starting this week. A statement from Sharon's office said they "agreed to tighten cooperation between them and to work together to advance the process. They also agreed to meet soon in order to advance various issues that are on the agenda. "Both leaders expressed hope that the new year would be more successful, a year of peace and hope," it said. Israeli and Palestinian officials said no date had been set for a summit.
 Hours after his conversation with Sharon, Abbas faced new conflict on the home front, where Palestinian police traded fire with Hamas militants in Gaza City, killing one and wounding 27 other people, among them three policemen, medics and witnesses said. Both police and militants accused the other of sparking the confrontation which began with a dispute that escalated into a gun battle that spread to two Hamas strongholds in and near Gaza City. Police sources said the policeman was killed after militants fired rocket-propelled grenades and tried to storm a police station in Shati refugee camp. But Hamas claimed the clashes erupted after police attempted to arrest the son of Abdel-Aziz al-Rantissi, a former Hamas leader who was slain in an Israeli air strike last year. Hamas said the police stopped Mohammad Rantissi's car, but he refused to hand himself over. The police began shooting after an angry crowd gathered around them, sparking a gun battle, Hamas said. Rantissi was not injured, said Mushir al-Masri, a Hamas spokesman. |