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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas vowed to continue 16-month-old cease-fire with Israel. (AP)
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| By Associated Press June 18, 2006 |
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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas vowed to continue a 16-month-old cease-fire with Israel -- denying Hamas ever broke it, after meeting Saturday with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
Abbas said the militant group Hamas, which holds a majority in the Palestinian parliament, had not discarded the truce in the past week.
"Hamas did not break the truce, although some violations have happened, due to the killing of the family (on a Gaza beach on June 9)," he told reporters.
The Palestinian leader vowed to uphold the cease-fire "in order to have people living in peace."
His comments came two days after Hamas offered to restore the truce, which broke down after a beach explosion killed eight Palestinians. Israel was shelling Gaza around that time but has said it was not responsible.
Israel responded favorably to Hamas' offer.
"If it is quiet, we will answer that with quiet," Mark Regev, spokesman for Israel's Foreign Ministry said Friday.
But violence has since resumed. An Israeli airstrike late Friday against suspected rocket launchers in Gaza killed two Palestinian militants, Israeli and Palestinian officials said. Earlier, Palestinians had fired five homemade rockets into Israel.
Though the rockets were not fired by Hamas, they were likely to endanger prospects for a return to quiet following days of intense bloodshed.
In Egypt, Abbas also talked with Mubarak about infighting between his Fatah party and the ruling Hamas, with Mubarak underscoring the need for continued dialogue between the two factions, said Mubarak spokesman Suleiman Awwad.
"The dialogue will yield results that are in harmony with international legitimacy, and will prove to the world that there is a Palestinian partner who is worth resuming negotiations with," Awwad said.
Abbas also thanked Egypt for humanitarian aid sent to the Palestinian Territories. After Mubarak met Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Sharm el-Sheikh June 4, more than 50 truckloads of Egyptian medicine and food were allowed to cross into Gaza, Awwad said.
The cash-strapped Palestinian Authority has been struggling to stay afloat after most international aid was cut off following Hamas' January election win.
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