Abbas threatens to quit if 'escalation' continues

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is considering resigning from his post if Israel continues its military operations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, a top PA official said Thursday.

The official said Abbas, in a series of phone conversations with Arab, American and EU leaders and government officials, strongly condemned Israel's attacks as a "severe blow" to the peace process.
"The president has said that he will resign if the military escalation and daily killings continue," the official said. "Israel's actions undermine the Palestinian Authority and drive more Palestinians into the open arms of Hamas and Islamic Jihad."
According to the official, Abbas was particularly enraged that Israel had stepped up its military operations shortly after US President George W. Bush's visit to the region.

"The military escalation is being seen as a direct result of Bush's visit to Ramallah," the official said. "This puts President Abbas in an uncomfortable position and makes him look as if he's part of the aggression."

Another PA official said Abbas was also considering disbanding the Palestinian negotiating team as a first step toward suspending peace talks with Israel.

Abbas's spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudaineh, accused Israel of seeking to sabotage the peace talks in the aftermath of the Annapolis peace conference.

"President Abbas's position is that the Israeli military aggression and the settlements not only cause harm to the peace process, but will destroy it," he said. "Israel must halt its military attacks immediately to save the peace process."

Asked if the PA is considering suspending peace talks with Israel, he said: "Such a decision should not be taken by the Palestinians alone. This should be a decision of all Arab parties." More