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Abbas halts slide into civil war

Chris McGreal

Attacks on senior officials raise fear of escalation in violence

Jerusalem: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is to meet Hamas leaders this week in an attempt to prevent growing conflict in the Gaza Strip degenerating into civil war after a bomb attack that seriously injured the head of the Palestinian intelligence service and a failed attempt to blow up another senior security official.

``Civil war is the red line that nobody dares cross, no matter which side they are on ... Civil war is forbidden,'' Mr Abbas said. ``There is a crisis. We have to look for a solution. A dialogue will be opened within the next four or five days.''

"Worrisome incident"

The Palestinian intelligence chief in the Gaza Strip, Tareq Abu Rajab (59), was injured when a bomb exploded under a lift inside his headquarters on Saturday. One person was killed and several others were wounded.

Mr Abbas called the assassination attempt ``a very unfortunate incident, and worrisome because it threatens [the Palestinian Authority] with grave danger''.

On Sunday, the Palestinian security forces said they had foiled an attempt to assassinate a senior commander loyal to Mr Abbas after discovering a large bomb outside his Gaza City home. Officials said they believe the 70-kg bomb was meant for Rashid Abu Shbak.

Palestinian officials were hesitant to pin the assassination attempts on Hamas, which denied having a hand in them. A previously unknown group, the Qaida Organisation of the State of Palestine, said on a website that it had tried to kill Mr Rajab and planned to assassinate Mr Abbas. But Palestinian officials were sceptical of the claim's authenticity.

There have been assassination attempts before against Mr Rajab, who is known as a staunch opponent of Hamas and other armed groups. Last week, he was appointed to head a committee investigating alleged attempts by Hamas to smuggle weapons into Jordan for attacks there.

Tensions rose sharply last week after Hamas, which took control of the Palestinian Authority after winning January's election, defied Mr Abbas by deploying its own security force on the streets of Gaza to counter growing lawlessness. Some Palestinians feared the move could lead to more confrontations after a series of gunfights between Hamas and the Fatah-dominated forces under the Palestinian President's command that have left several people dead.

Abbas to meet Olmert

Continued Israeli missile and artillery attacks have added to the tension. The Israeli air force killed an Islamic Jihad commander and three civilians, including a woman and her four-year-old child, in a rocket attack on a car in the Gaza Strip on Saturday.

Mr Abbas also said he expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in the near future after talks on Sunday with Israel's Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.

Ms Livni, who met Mr Abbas on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Egypt, said there was an understanding that the leaders would meet but she did not say when.

- Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006

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