King Abdullah
Photo: Reuters
Saudi king urges Palestinians to close ranks
King Abdullah tells Abbas Hamas-Fatah divisions more harmful than 'Israeli aggression'
The official Saudi news agency says King Abdullah has urged Palestinians to unite, arguing that their disputes have done more harm than decades of what he termed Israeli aggression.
The Saudi Press Agency says the king has told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that if the entire world was united in its support for a future Palestinian state, such an entity would not be possible to create given Palestinian divisions.
Abdullah's remarks came in a cable to Abbas Tuesday.
Tensions between the main Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas have deepened, with each cracking down on the other's loyalists since Hamas seized the Gaza Strip in June 2007.
A Palestinian unity deal is seen as a prerequisite for any peace agreement.
