Palestinian Prime Minister Mr Mahmoud Abbas has ruled out dialogue with Hamas after the militant group suspended truce talks due to his conciliatory stance at a peace summit with Israel, a Palestinian official said yesterday.
"Abbas will not meet Hamas, even if Hamas requests to meet him. Their irresponsible decision has indicated that they are not interested in cementing the national unity of the Palestinian people," the official told Reuters, referring to Hamas's walkout on Friday.
In another sign of in-fighting, a meeting of Hamas and other Palestinian factions, convened in Gaza City to discuss Wednesday's US-led summit in Jordan, ended with no consensus on Mr Abbas's pledge to take the violence out of their uprising for independence.
Violence continued yesterday, with Israeli military sources saying troops killed a Palestinian gunman who ambushed them in the central Gaza Strip. The army also sealed off the West Bank citing "heightened and numerous terror alerts". A senior source said Hamas was believed to be preparing to attack.
The weekend war of words with Hamas has been the most serious challenge to Mr Abbas since he took office in April in a power-sharing move with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. Mr Abbas postponed a visit to Gaza for consultations with Palestinian Authority officials today, the official said.