Gaza violence could spread: Palestinian minister

Tokyo, June 13: Palestinian Foreign Minister Ziad Abu Amr warned today that factional violence in Gaza could spread to the West Bank if nothing is done, but dismissed threats that one faction might leave the government as speculation.

Palestinians battled across the Gaza Strip early today raising the death toll to 53 in four days of fighting as the forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas fought supporters of Ismail Haniyeh, the Islamist prime minister.

Leaders of Abbas's secular Fatah group threatened to quit a three-month-old unity government with the Islamist Hamas group if there was no immediate truce, and the European Union said there was an imminent risk of civil war.

Abu Amr, in Tokyo for discussions on aid and regional issues with Japanese leaders, dismissed reports that Fatah had decided to withdraw from the government as ''speculation''.

''Fatah so far has not decided what to do with Hamas and I don't think it makes very much sense to try to undermine the national unity government,'' Abu Amr, an independent, told a news conference.

''I hope that both Fatah and Hamas will be able to contain and reconcile their differences and stick to the national unity government because this is the only realistic choice.'' Earlier, Abu Amr told a seminar that the fighting was a natural result of what he termed international negligence, and that things would get worse without financial help.

''The idea now is to see how we can salvage the situation,'' he said, warning that fighting could expand to the West Bank unless the economic situation in Gaza was dealt with promptly.

''If you have two brothers put into a cage and deprive them of basic essential needs for life, they will fight,'' he said. ''I don't think we should put the blame on the victim.'' The Quartet of Middle East peace brokers -- the United States, Russia, the United Nations and the European Union -- suspended direct aid to the Palestinian Authority last year after Hamas formed a government, but there are calls to now resume aid.

Norway resumed direct aid at the end of last month by disbursing million, and Abu Amr said the world should recognise that the situation in the Palestinian territories has changed and give more, praising Japan for its support.

Tokyo has lonts support for Abbas and was considering providing direct aid to his office.

Japan is the No.2 aid donor to the Palestinian territories on a country basis after the United States and disbursed roughly 0 million through various routes from 1993 to the end of March last year. It stopped direct aid late in 2005.

Abu Amr said stalemated peace talks with Israel were part of the problem but avoided specific details.

''We need to go back to peace negotiations immediately,'' he said.

REUTERS

Related Stories

>