Abbas demands Gaza militants halt violence against Israelis

A DAY after firing his top security commanders, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas went to the Gaza Strip yesterday to demand militant leaders stop attacking Israelis.

The central committee of Mr Abbas’s Fatah movement also announced a state of emergency in the Palestinian security forces aimed at preventing new attacks.

The moves to stamp out the violence came after a mortar barrage on Jewish settlements on Thursday that threatened to unravel the ceasefire with Israel just days after it was announced. Israel praised Mr Abbas’s swift action but said it only had limited patience.