Abbas: Renew unity gov't talks, civil war is 'red line'

[Behind the Aegis]

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday appealed for calm
after gunbattles between a Hamas militia and members of the security forces loyal to his Fatah movement left eight people dead in Gaza.

Abbas also said Sunday he was ready renew stalled negotiations with Hamas over a unity government.

"These confrontations have crossed the red line, which we have avoided crossing for four decades," he said in a speech broadcast on Palestine TV.

Abbas condemned the violence "in the strongest terms," and ordered an official investigation into the fighting.


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