Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas warned on Tuesday that his people are on the verge of civil war and said the infighting is worse than living under Israeli military rule.

In a televised speech marking the 40th anniversary of the 1967 Six-Day War, in which Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem,
Abbas focused on the bloody factional fighting between his Fatah movement and the Islamic militant Hamas. The two parties have been governing in an uneasy coalition since March, after a year of Hamas-only rule, but another round of deadly gun battles erupted in May.

	Advertisement

"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 the what is equal to or even worse than occupation is internal fighting.

Abbas warned that factional fighting has harmed the Palestinians' standing in the world. He also criticized Palestinian militants, who captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit a year ago and continued to fire rockets at Israeli towns near Gaza after Israel's pullout from strip in 2005. Abbas said the militants only invited Israeli retaliation that has left hundreds of Palestinians dead.

The PA chairman also said he wants to move forward instead of affixing blame, and is not trying to restore calm by negotiating a cease-fire with Israel.


Abbas: I'll ask Olmert to restart peace negotiations
Abbas said Tuesday he'll urge Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in their upcoming meeting to start talks on a final peace deal.

Israel has said it won't negotiate unless the Islamic militant Hamas, which governs in a coalition with Abbas' Fatah movement, recognizes Israel and renounces violence.

The Palestinians say Israel is using the Hamas boycott as a pretext for avoiding negotiations because it is unwilling to make far-reaching concessions.

Abbas and Olmert have met several times in Jerusalem in recent months, but their next meeting, expected to be held Thursday, is to take place for the first time in the West Bank. The exact date and place are not final, but the most likely venue is the desert town of Jericho.

Abbas said Tuesday that in the meeting, he'll demand the resumption of peace talks that broke down in 2001, in the early months of the second intifada.

"I will reaffirm the necessity to start negotiations so we are not stuck in a relentless cycle of violence," Abbas said.

Abbas said he'll also raise with Olmert the continued expansion of settlements in the West Bank and the construction of the separation fence, which slices off about 10 percent of the West Bank.

He said he'll demand the release of Palestinian prisoners - more than 9,000 are being held by Israel - and insist Israel transfer hundreds of millions of dollars in tax rebates it has withheld since Hamas came to power last year.

"If the Israelis want to minimalize the agenda, it is my duty as the elected president of the Palestinian people to put every single issue vigorously on the table," Abbas said.