OCCUPIED TERRITORIES

Reuters: Abbas Calls on Palestinians to Drop Armed Struggle

GAZA (Reuters) - Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said his people should drop their weapons in the struggle for a state, marking out a clear change of strategy for peace with Israel after Yasser Arafat's death last month.
Abbas, near certain to win a Jan. 9 election to succeed Arafat, made the comments in an interview published on Tuesday, two days after militants showed their muscle with the deadliest attack on Israeli troops since May.
The U.S.-favored veteran leader had previously shown his opposition to armed attacks in a 4-year-old uprising

The idea of giving up weapons was dismissed by a spokesman for Hamas Islamic militants, who joined with a group from Abbas's own dominant Fatah faction to launch Sunday's attack.
"I believe the consensus of the Palestinian people contradicts these statements," said Sami Abu Zuhri. "The strategies of the Palestinian people should be discussed through a serious and comprehensive dialogue."
Hamas has called for a boycott of the presidential election and a low turnout could damage the credibility of Abbas if it comes to disarming militants.