PA on brink of civil war, Abbas says
On anniversary of Six Day War, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warns of growing internal strife, slams rocket attacks on Israel as counterproductive. Says however that Palestinian statehood within reach, details agenda for talks with Israel
Marking the 40th anniversary of what he called the Arabs' "great defeat" by Israel in the Six Day War, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas warned that Palestinians were on the verge of civil war and said infighting is worse than living under Israeli military rule.
Abbas said however that Palestinian statehood was within reach. Yet new fighting between his secular Fatah faction and Islamist Hamas fighters and Abbas' failure so far to secure a ceasefire between Palestinian operatives and Israel highlighted some of the obstacles on the road to peace.
''Regarding our internal situation, what concerns us all is the chaos, and more specifically, being on the verge of civil war,'' Abbas said.
He said he has spent hundreds of negotiating hours trying to halt the bloodshed, ''realizing that what is equal to the danger of occupation, or even more, is the danger of infighting.''
Abbas warned that factional fighting has harmed the Palestinians' standing in the world. He also criticized the kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit last year and the continued rocket attacks against Israeli towns near Gaza after Israel's pullout from the coastal strip in 2005. Abbas said the militants only did harm, by provoking Israeli retaliation.
'A black date'
Meanwhile Palestinians gathered in Ramallah's main square for a rally to mark the "Naksa" or setback of 1967.
"We enter another year, four decades after the June war, in which the rest of the land of Palestine was occupied, in addition to key Egyptian and Syrian lands," Abbas said.
"Since that black date, our people and nation are paying a dear price for a great defeat that ... added complications to the Israeli-Arab conflict, at the heart of which is the Palestinian problem and the rights of our people," he said.
The Palestinian parliament convened for a special session to mark the anniversary. In Israel, there were no official ceremonies Tuesday because the state follows a Hebrew calendar for special events. On May 14, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert addressed parliament to mark the capture of east Jerusalem.
Upcoming talks hindered
"A few days from now I will be meeting the Israeli prime minister on Palestinian Authority land," Abbas said about talks with Ehud Olmert.
"If the Israelis prefer to limit the agenda to the bare minimum, it is my duty as the elected president of the Palestinian people, to discuss strongly all issues and to press that they be placed on the agenda," he said.
Israeli Vice Premier Shimon Peres, calling the 1967 conflict a war his country had been forced into by hostile Arab states, said: "We wouldn't like to see the Palestinians occupied ... We are ready to negotiate straight away, fully, sincerely and responsibly."
Israeli officials, however, have said there could be no substantive talks at present with the Palestinians on statehood, noting their government is led by Hamas, which refuses to recognize Israel.
Abbas, who formed a coalition with Hamas in March, has proposed a new truce between militants and Israel following the surge in rocket attacks from Gaza.
Under the plan, the ceasefire would first go into effect in the Gaza Strip and then be extended to the West Bank.
Hamas has rebuffed the proposal, saying a truce must begin simultaneously in both territories. Israel has also rejected the plan, saying its air strikes had led to a drop in rocket attacks and voicing fear Hamas would use a lull to rearm.
