Abbas on the intifada

Mahmoud Abbas, who is virtually certain to be chosen as the new Palestinian leader in elections next month, voiced his opposition to the Palestinian uprising in an interview this week and declared it must stop.

Although in the past he has privately called the armed uprising a mistake, it is the first time he has done so publicly since the death of Yasser Arafat, which has brought Mr Abbas closer to assuming the Palestinian leadership.

According to this report, Hamas and other 'hardliners' are rejecting his call. Aljazeera says Hamas have cancelled a planned anniversary rally for fear of Israeli strikes against their leaders.