Region | Palestinian Territories
Abbas breaks off contact with Israel over Gaza attacks
Palestinian President suspends peace negotiations and demands Israel ends Gaza offensive.
- Agencies
- Published: 18:33 March 2, 2008
- Image Credit:
- Abbas’ office condemned the attack, but stopped short of declaring the US-brokered talks a failure.
Gaza: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has suspended peace negotiations with Israel, demanding it end a Gaza offensive that has killed more than 100 Palestinians, many of them civilians.
The announcement comes in the midst of angry demonstrations over the bloody attacks, and the shooting of a 14-year-old boy by Israeli troops in the West Bank. A 21-month year old girl was the latest casualty in Gaza on Sunday.
Abbas' office condemned the attack, but stopped short of declaring the US-brokered talks a failure.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert vowed to continue the assault, saying Israel was acting in self-defence to curb rocket attacks by militants.
An Israeli spokesman called Abbas' announcement a mistake.
Egypt meanwhile said it has opened its border crossing with Gaza and was allowing seriously injured Palestinians to cross to receive medical treatment.
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