Israel freezes settlement, releases money to Abbas ahead of his talks with Hamas

Friday, January 19th 2007, 6:12 am

By: News On 6

JERUSALEM (AP) _ Israel said Friday it had halted plans to build a new West Bank settlement and released frozen funds to Mahmoud Abbas, bolstering the moderate Palestinian president ahead of his talks in Syria with the supreme leader of the rival Hamas group.

Abbas painted the talks as a final effort to end the violent conflict between his Fatah movement and Hamas over leadership of the Palestinians. He has threatened early elections if the two sides cannot agree on a national unity government.

Fatah and Hamas have been at loggerheads since Hamas won parliamentary elections last year and formed a Cabinet. Israel and the West imposed an economic boycott on the Palestinians, demanding Hamas renounce violence and recognize Israel's right to exist. The militant group has refused.

Abbas has been pushing Hamas for months to form a coalition government of independent experts in hopes of ending the sanctions, which have pushed Palestinians deeper into poverty. Tensions among the two groups have repeatedly exploded into open warfare in the Gaza Strip that has killed at least 62 people since last May.

Abbas' meeting in Syria on Saturday with Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal would be their first in years. The distance between the leaders underscores their bitter rivalry and the deep ideological and political divisions they would need to overcome for a joint government.

Israel's moves to halt the West Bank settlement at Maskiot and release funds to the Palestinians were part of its efforts to boost Abbas in his struggle with Hamas.

Late Thursday, Israel gave Abbas $100 million in taxes it collects on behalf of the Palestinian government, saying the money would be used for humanitarian efforts and to strengthen Abbas' security forces, which are in the front lines of the fight against Hamas' militants.

Israel froze the transfer of the money after the Hamas election victory.

Abbas aide Saeb Erekat welcomed the payment, but said it still only represented about 25 percent of the halted funds.

``We need it badly, and we consider this a step in the right direction, hoping that the whole lot of money withheld will be transferred to the Palestinian Authority,'' he said.

Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz also ordered plans for the new West Bank settlement to be stopped indefinitely ``in order to look carefully at the implications,'' ministry officials said Friday, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the issue's sensitivity.

Israel's announcement last month that it had approved the construction of the Maskiot settlement drew international condemnation and infuriated the Palestinians. Israel has repeatedly promised not to build new settlements in the West Bank; Maskiot was the first approved since the early 1990s.

The United States has also expressed its support for Abbas in recent days. Earlier this week, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she would meet with Olmert and Abbas at a peacemaking summit in the first half of February. It would be the first meeting among the main parties thought necessary to draft any settlement in the dispute.

Rice said Thursday the meeting will follow a gathering in Washington of the international sponsors of the dormant ``road map'' peace plan, which calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. The plan foundered shortly after it was presented in 2003, with both sides failing to live up to their initial obligations.

Meanwhile, the 10-year-old daughter of a Palestinian peace activist died Friday after being struck in the head days earlier by a rubber bullet fired by Israeli security forces in the West Bank. Abir Aramin's death was expected to further fan Arab anger against Israel.

Israeli police spokesman Moshe Fintzy said an internal investigation into the girl's death had been opened.