Civil War Warning to Palestinians

The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, said yesterday that his people were on the brink of civil war as gunmen from the rival Hamas and Fatah factions fought each other in Gaza.

Mr Abbas, who gave a televised speech to mark 40 years since the start of the six-day war, highlighted the growing despair among Palestinians over Gaza, which has been torn apart by lawlessness.

"On the internal front, the cause of everybody's concern is what is called the security chaos, or more precisely, standing on the brink of a civil war," Mr Abbas said in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank.

In Gaza yesterday gunmen from the Islamist movement Hamas, which won last year's election and now leads the Palestinian government, fought with their rivals from Fatah, the movement led by Mr Abbas. For three hours gunmen fought near the Karni crossing point and at least one member of the Fatah presidential guard was injured in what was the most serious clash between the groups for days.

Mr Abbas described the 1967 war as a "great defeat" for the Arabs but insisted that the Palestinians were moving closer to establishing their own state. "Since that black date our people and nation are paying a dear price for a great defeat that.. added complications to the Israeli-Arab conflict, at the heart of which is the Palestinian problem and the rights of our people," he said. He is due to meet the Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, this week, for further talks.

Yesterday several demonstrations, some jointly organized by Palestinians and Israelis, were held in the West Bank and in Israel to protest against the 40-year military occupation after Israel's victory of 1967.