Leaders of the ruling Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and
former dominant Fatah movement agreed on Wednesday to resolve their
differences through dialogue.
"There is no term of civil war in the Palestinian culture and
tradition," Hamas prime minister Ismail Haneya told a news
conference following a seven-hour meeting at his office in Gaza
City.
Haneya believed that the meeting provided a basis for an internal
ceasefire.
"We are serious of ending all sorrowful incidents, in which six
Palestinians were killed," Haneya said.
The Palestinians "would never please the (Israeli) occupiers by
keeping fighting and shedding of the Palestinian blood."
Fatah and Hamas leaders told the news conference that they
agreed to launch immediate probe into a series of assassination
attempt and gunbattle between loyalists of the two rival groups,
and urged the security forces to cooperate with the inquiry.
Violence has escalated in the Gaza streets since the
3,000-strong security force were deployed on May 17, although
President Mahmoud Abbas vetoed the Hamas decision to create the
force.
Samir al-Masharawi, a Fatah delegate to the meeting, called on
all Fatah supporters to adhere to the agreement.
(Xinhua News Agency May 25, 2006)
