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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (AP)
Last update - 22:40 03/03/2008
Abbas: I'm ready to negotiate a truce between Israel, Hamas
By DPA
Tags: Mahmoud Abbas, Hamas, Israel 

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Monday he was ready to mediate a truce between Israel and the Islamic Hamas movement, after five days of fierce fighting in the Gaza Strip and intensified rocket attacks from the Strip into southern Israel.

"President Abbas renewed his readiness to work for a full and mutual calm with Israel to spare our people and to avoid suffering," a statement carried on the official Palestinian Wafa news agency said.

Abbas called on Israel "to accept this initiative."
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The Palestinian leader froze peace talks with Israel in the wake of the latest round of violence, which left more than 100 Palestinians and two Israel Defense Forces soldiers dead, and began last Wednesday, when Israel killed five Hamas militants it said were planning an attack.

Militant groups in the Gaza Strip responded by intensifying rocket attacks on Israeli towns and communities near the Gaza border, including launching Iranian Grad-type rockets at the coastal town of Ashkelon, hitherto only a sporadic target of rocket fire.

Israel in turn launched a series of Israel Air Force strikes, and sent a large ground force into the Strip overnight Friday, sparking fierce fighting, and withdrew the troops overnight Sunday, leading Hamas to declare a "victory."

Hamas, which does not recognize Israel's right to exist, has previously intimated it is interested in a long-term truce, but has attached a host of conditions, some of which were being negotiated as part of a final-status deal between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

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      1.   Olmert, Abbas, Haniyeh. "A three-ring circus." With... 19:38  |  bat yam 03/03/08
      2.   Truce 19:40  |  Tina 03/03/08
      3.   The Butcher of our Munich Athletes offers to make Peace 19:40  |  Yael 03/03/08
      4.   What are his credentials? A PhD in Shoah Denial? 19:41  |  Ronny 03/03/08
      5.   Hamas Won 19:59  |  Toni 03/03/08
      6.   Hama`s "victory" 20:00  |  Edifice 03/03/08
      7.   Papa abbas-he`s ready! 20:03  |  Mark Katzman 03/03/08
      8.   A TRAITOR TO NEGOTIATE A TRUCE? 20:06  |  indrajaya 03/03/08
      9.   Don`t tell us ... 20:07  |  Pipistro 03/03/08
      10.   The quisling-collaborator trying to stay relevant! 20:19  |  lakshmi 03/03/08
      11.   Truce 20:21  |  Robin 03/03/08
      12.   #2 Tony "Hamas won" 20:34  |  H 03/03/08
      13.   Playing for Time....... 20:36  |  Dagma 03/03/08
      14.   Israel never misses a chance to humiliate Pal moderates. 20:43  |  Michael 03/03/08
      15.   What a joke??????? 20:45  |  Palestinian 03/03/08
      16.   Complicity. 20:47  |  Jean Van Daem 03/03/08
      17.   ABASS TERMS: 20:50  |  Aaron Kinsberg 03/03/08
      18.   Israel Withdrew Way Too Early, But... 20:52  |  I Stand With Israel 03/03/08
      19.   Like afox mediating in a dispute between chickens 20:52  |  Alan 03/03/08
      20.   Indrajaya#5 - Abbas responsible? 20:55  |  William 03/03/08
      21.   To Edifice # 3 - A Victory....? 20:55  |  Dolly 03/03/08
      22.   Negotiate What and Who Will Negotiate? 21:02  |  Brad 03/03/08
      23.   Shenkin st.Accrd.to Reuter bmbd by Grad. 21:12  |  Lord Ja fon Cob 03/03/08
      24.   A mirror of Hizbullah 21:13  |  Atoo 03/03/08
      25.   Abbas to Negotiate 21:21  |  Mary 03/03/08
      26.   Robin 21:25  |  Edifice 03/03/08
      27.   A Truce between Israel, Hamas...? Where is Olmert. quick..... 21:26  |  Natasha 03/03/08
      28.   Why listen? 21:39  |  Paul 03/03/08
      29.   Good post! Dagma 21:41  |  Paul 03/03/08
      30.   What part of President doesn`t Abbas understand? 21:42  |  Gee 03/03/08
      31.   Toni #2 you are a liar 21:45  |  Gee 03/03/08
      32.   ISRAELI PALISTINIAN CONFLICT 21:46  |  DAN BEIRO 03/03/08
      33.   Negotiate 2 21:47  |  Ken 03/03/08
      34.   ARE YOU THE NEW SHAH OF IRAN OR PERVEZ MUSHARRAF, ABBAS 21:47  |  Mohamed Malleck 03/03/08
      35.   Abbas... the Joker 22:13  |  Rafa 03/03/08
      36.   #2 Toni 22:18  |  Sol 03/03/08
      37.   A "truce" where more missiles can be preprared! 22:24  |  Shlomo 03/03/08
      38.   Michael 22:28  |  Spyglass 03/03/08
      39.   #8 Robin: Truce 22:31  |  Softwalker 03/03/08
      40.   Arab Abu Mazen want to hand over the key to terror Hamas 22:35  |  Joseph . E 03/03/08
      41.   Hamas won again 22:37  |  MARK KLEIN, M.D. 03/03/08
      42.   Good guy - Bad guy 22:37  |  Bo 03/03/08
      43.   this peace agreement is a zionist trap 22:44  |  kaled 03/03/08
      44.   Why don`t israeli citizens launch their own? 22:45  |  Matt 03/03/08
      45.   Step 1 22:49  |  MichaelF 03/03/08
      46.   it`s lovely of him to try, but ... 22:53  |  frenz 03/03/08
      47.   Offer to mediate 23:07  |  Skeptic 03/03/08
      48.   Kaled 23:18  |  Edifice 03/03/08
      49.   Gaza incursions 23:24  |  Ed 03/03/08
      50.   Who is taking who for a ride 23:30  |  Dave Duncan 03/03/08
      51.   The Palestinian lie 23:33  |  American Christian 03/03/08
      52.   SIC SEMPER QUISLINGISS 23:57  |  Arik Silverman 03/03/08
      53.   hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha 00:08  |  I can`t stop laughin 04/03/08
      54.   Frankenstein`s Laboratory, Part I 00:20  |  Knott Bushman 04/03/08
      55.   a palestinian mediates beweet a palestinian and isael... 00:27  |  bashar 04/03/08
      56.   a palestinian mediates beweet a palestinian and isael... 00:45  |  bashar 04/03/08
      57.   I agree with you Palestinian,I have to say I am puzzeled by this. 00:54  |  Jacob Blues 04/03/08
      58.   GAZA DOES NOT BELONG TO THE 00:55  |  BRAZILIAN 04/03/08
      59.   i dont get it 01:15  |  vik 04/03/08
      60.   Abbas looks subdued! 01:21  |  Paul 04/03/08
      61.   To Bo 01:24  |  American Christian 04/03/08
      62.   Haaretz feels like old Soviet 01:24  |  Atoo 04/03/08
      63.   Top Secret-Conversation between Nasrallah and Hanniyeh 01:34  |  Alan 04/03/08
      64.   To Jeseph E. 01:52  |  American Christian 04/03/08
      65.   Direct talks are better, but there are other aspects as well 02:00  |  Fritz T. 04/03/08
      66.   I never thought he had a sense of humor 02:07  |  Mark Lincoln 04/03/08
      67.   #2, Sort of "typical CIA plot" according to Buckley 02:09  |  Fritz T. 04/03/08
      68.   Inserting himself for his own sake 02:11  |  jewish doctor 04/03/08
      69.   NO CEASEFIRE! 02:12  |  Nechama 04/03/08
      70.   Arab tradition: claim victory out of losses 02:16  |  Conroy 04/03/08
      71.   Abbas 02:29  |  Paul 04/03/08
      72.   Trying nothing! 02:32  |  Paul