Marking 40 years of Israeli occupation, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned Tuesday that his people are on the verge of civil war and said the infighting is perhaps worse than living under Israeli occupation.
Israel's occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and parts of Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast War was a "black day" for the Palestinians, who paid a heavy price for defeat, Abbas said in a televised speech marking the start of the War on June 5, 1967.
According to the AP, Abbas focused on the bloody factional fighting between his Fatah movement and Hamas.
"Regarding our internal situation, what concerns us all is the chaos, and more specifically, being on the verge of civil war," Abbas said. According to him, he has spent hundreds of negotiating hours trying to halt the bloodshed, "realizing that the what is equal to or even worse than occupation is internal fighting."
Regarding truce with the Israel side, Abbas asserted that he is working on a comprehensive and mutual truce in the West Bank and Gaza. He mentioned that the he is so concerned on the "geographical, financial, psychological and economical siege", affirming that he works all nights and days to end it.
The Palestinian president asserted that he rejects the international "selective" deal with the government as it is headed by Hamas. Regarding the imminent meeting with the Israeli PM, Ehud Olmert, President said that he would bring up the issues of the Apartheid Wall, colonies and the Palestinian money detained by Israel.
According to WAFA, he added that he would insist on beginning negotiation path, asserting that the absence of political work in the time of intensive military act would lead to more complications.
