JERUSALEM – Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday pleaded with Palestinians to head off a civil war, and urged moderate Arab states to help Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
But the militia tied to Abbas’ Fatah party issued a hit list that marked Hamas’ leaders for “execution.”
Rice spent the second day of her Mideast tour trying to end the Fatah-Hamas bloodshed that has killed 12 people since Sunday.
“Innocent Palestinians are caught in the crossfire, and we call on all parties to stop,” Rice said in Cairo.
Meeting with foreign ministers of eight Arab states, she urged them to help Abbas win support among Palestinians. She also asked the ministers to join international efforts to halt Iran’s drive toward nuclear weaponry.
Today, Rice is scheduled to meet with Abbas in Ramallah, in the West Bank, and with Israeli leaders in Jerusalem.
Israeli sources said that among the proposals she is bringing is a plan for Israel to turn over Palestinian customs duties and other fees to Abbas.
Israel’s refusal to transfer the duties it collected to a Hamas-led government contributed to the bankruptcy of the Palestinian Authority and the growing turmoil in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The urgency of Rice’s mission was underlined by the call by the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, the armed militia of Fatah, for the “execution” of Hamas officials.
It named Hamas’ leader, Khaled Mashaal, Palestinian Interior Minister Sayid Siam and Youssef al-Zahar captains of the Hamas “death squads.”
Siam was blamed for giving the order by Hamas-led security forces to break up Fatah demonstrations on what the Palestinians call “Bloody Sunday” three days ago.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, a Hamas member, vowed to end the fighting.
“We will not allow a civil war,” he said.
Rice said the solution is for Hamas to moderate its views, recognize Israel and work with Abbas.
“The Palestinians need to have a government that can serve their needs,” she said earlier in Saudi Arabia. With Post Wire Services