Call for ceasefire amid fears that fighting could spread

ARAB countries fear the fighting in Gaza could spread to the West Bank and further destabilise the region.

The Arab League chief has called for a ceasefire, warning of disaster otherwise.

The battle is rapidly creating a dramatic new reality on Arab governments’ doorsteps: a Gaza Strip controlled by the militant group Hamas and a West Bank held by the Fatah faction of President Mahmoud Abbas.

Egypt sent police to beef up security on the border with Gaza. Authorities deployed armoured vehicles and water cannons to prevent any potential mass flight of Palestinians out of Gaza, while searching for tunnels under the border through which infiltrators could pass.

There are fears that if the fighting spreads to the West Bank, it will further weaken Mr Abbas and ultimately stir up trouble for Jordan, said a Jordanian government official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the situation’s sensitivity.

The fighting is a major blow to months of attempts by US Arab allies Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia to unify the Palestinians and allow a resumption of the peace process with Israel.

Arab League chief Amr Moussa has called for a ceasefire, warning that if the Palestinians do not support Egyptian mediation, “the outcome will be a disaster”. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit threw Cairo’s support behind Mr Abbas, calling on all factions to “respect the Palestinian Authority ... and its president Mahmoud Abbas.”

Arab states fear a Hamas-run Gaza could become a power centre for the group’s allies Iran and Syria.