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RAMALLAH, West Bank-Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called Wednesday for renewed dialogue with Hamas after insisting for months that the Islamic militants relinquish control of Gaza first.He said successful talks could lead to new elections.Abbas said in a speech that the Palestinians must have national dialogue "to end the internal division that harms our people, (our) cause."In Gaza, Hamas spokesman Taher Nunu welcomed the call for talks."We welcome this call by the President Abbas to launch a national dialogue, and we consider it a positive step," he said.Abbas said if the talks succeed: "I will call for new legislative and presidential elections."Abbas won an election to succeed Yasser Arafat, who died in 2004, but Hamas swept his Fatah Party out of power in a 2006 election.Hamas ousted Abbas' security forces and seized control of Gaza last year. In response, Abbas fired the Hamas prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh, and appointed a government of moderates in the West Bank.Since then, Hamas has become increasingly entrenched in Gaza, despite a sweeping international boycott that kept Gaza's borders virtually sealed and drove the territory's 1.4 million residents deeper into poverty.Over the past year there have been several unsuccessful efforts, notably by Egypt, to repair the rift between the two rivals.For the past year, Abbas had insisted he would only talk to Hamas once it steps aside in Gaza. However, peace talks with Israel are stalled and it is increasingly unlikely he'll be able to negotiate a deal by the end of the year as the international community had hoped. It has become increasingly clear that no deal could be implemented as long as Gaza remains under Hamas control.Abbas risks losing international support with his sudden decision to talk to Hamas again. Hamas has persistently rejected calls by Israel and the West to recognize Israel, renounce violence and accept previous peace deals.http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D913DROG1&show_article=1&catnum=0
As in the days of Noah.......
