World

Palestinian Leaders Call For Calm

January 30, 2007 / 9:36 AM EST / CBS/AP

As a tenuous cease-fire took hold in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh appealed to all Palestinians to prevent a resurgence in the internal violence that killed 36 people in recent days.

Much of Gaza was quiet Tuesday, though a Hamas gunman was killed in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis — a shooting officials from the Islamic group blamed on militants from rival Fatah.

The relative lull in Gaza violence came just as Israel carried out its first response to a Palestinian suicide bombing, carrying out an air strike early Tuesday on a tunnel dug by Palestinians near the Gaza-Israel border.

Israel is blaming Egypt for Monday's bombing, saying the bomber crossed from Gaza into Egypt through a smuggling tunnel and, after a trek through the desert, crossed back into Israel near Eilat, reports CBS News correspondent Robert Berger. Officials say Egypt is turning a blind eye to the smuggling of weapons and terrorists on the Gaza border in violation of a security agreement.

In other developments:

The Hamas-created security unit Executive Force must be dissolved as its formation was unconstitutional, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas told reporters Tuesday. Hamas and Fatah have agreed the unit should be dissolved "and some of its troops will join the regular security apparatus. It will not exist as an independent force," Abbas said.

Dozens of Israeli lawmakers want to remove President Moshe Katsav, after he was indicted on rape charges and rejected calls to resign. "The present situation is undermining the dignity of the presidency of the State of Israel," agreed legal analyst David Kretsmer. But

reports it's unlikely Katsav will be impeached: 90 of 120 members of parliament would have to vote for impeachment, and there's not enough support for that in the Knesset.

Tens of thousands of Shiite Muslim men, some beating their chests and slashing their heads with blades, marched through the streets of the Middle East on Tuesday to mark Ashoura, which commemorates the 7th century death of the grandson of Islam's Prophet Muhammad. The marches in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran took place in an atmosphere of tension between Shiites and Sunni Muslims that has risen during the past year as the power struggles in Beirut and Baghdad took sectarian lines.

Sacha Baron Cohen could be facing even more legal difficulties over his wacky comedic creation, Borat Sagdiyev. This time his accuser is an Israeli comedian who claims that Borat's signature exclamation of excitement — "Wa wa wee wa" — belongs to him. And Dovale Glickman tells an Israeli entertainment television show he plans to sue the Golden Globe-award winning comedian for copyright infringement.

The agreement calls on both sides to withdraw their forces from the streets of Gaza, to release hostages and avoid inflammatory language, reports . But there's little hope that the truce will last. Hamas and Fatah remain locked in a bitter power struggle, and previous cease-fires have quickly collapsed.

In fact, in the past, Hamas and Fatah gunmen used lulls to prepare for more fighting.

But Haniyeh called for a total halt to the violence.

"Either we maintain this calm," he said, "or everything collapses again, and then everyone will be held responsible."

Fatah spokesman Maher Mekdad said his group would observe the agreement.

"Despite all the bitterness and sadness that we are feeling, we will work to make it succeed," he said.

Abbas said he "felt bad" about the continuing street battles between security forces and militia loyal to Hamas and his Fatah party, which have claimed more than 30 lives in the past five days.

He also denounced the Palestinian suicide bombing in Eilat.

"I condemn it, and it doesn't benefit us at all," Abbas said. But, he added, "I don't think this operation by itself will affect the truce between us and the Israelis in the Gaza Strip."

Hamas has praised the bombing as legitimate resistance.

The power struggle between Hamas and Fatah that has fueled the fighting remains unresolved. The two sides have been at odds since Hamas defeated Fatah in legislative elections a year ago, dividing the Palestinian government between Hamas and Fatah.

Abbas, who was elected separately two years ago, has urged Hamas, which faces international isolation because of its anti-Israel ideology, to join Fatah in a more moderate coalition. He hopes a softer platform will help end economic sanctions against the Palestinian Authority and allow him to resume peace talks with Israel.

Israeli leaders hinted that a military response was being considered to the attack.

"We will protect the citizens of Israel and we will protect the tourism centers of Israel," Defense Minister Amir Peretz said Tuesday. He promised to step up patrols along Israel's southern border to prevent future infiltrations.

Early Tuesday, the army bombed a tunnel that it said was meant for use by Gaza militants for another attack against Israel. No casualties were reported. In the past, militants have dug such tunnels to attack Israeli army outposts and other targets.