This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/6223388.stm

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Abbas accuses Hamas of coup plot Abbas accuses Hamas of coup plot
(30 minutes later)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has accused Hamas of trying to establish its own state in Gaza.Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has accused Hamas of trying to establish its own state in Gaza.
Mr Abbas condemned Hamas as "murderous terrorists" for attacking "national symbols" during its takeover of Gaza. Mr Abbas condemned Hamas as "murderous terrorists" and "coup plotters", over the group's takeover of Gaza last week.
He spoke at a meeting of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), an umbrella political group, in the West Bank town of Ramallah. He ruled out talks with the Islamist group - a rival of his Fatah faction - but said the ongoing crisis should not prevent peace talks with Israel.
Last week Hamas militants seized bases and government compounds in Gaza from rivals Fatah, which Mr Abbas heads. A Hamas leader in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan, condemned Mr Abbas' speech as "full of lies".
"It was a long speech full of lies and fabricated stories... it is inappropriate for any president of a people to shut the door to dialogue with an integral part of his people whose weight and size he knows full well," Mr Hamdan said.
Last week, Hamas militants seized bases and government compounds in Gaza from rivals Fatah, which Mr Abbas heads.
Assassination bid
In his first major speech since Hamas seized control of Gaza, Mr Abbas said talks with Israel should resume despite the crisis, calling on the international community to convene a conference to start peace talks.
"The atmosphere is not preventing a start to negotiations," he said.
He was speaking at a meeting of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), an umbrella political group, in the West Bank town of Ramallah.
"There is no dialogue with those murderous terrorists," Mr Abbas said, referring to Hamas militants."There is no dialogue with those murderous terrorists," Mr Abbas said, referring to Hamas militants.
In the wake of Hamas' takeover Mr Abbas sacked the Palestinian government, led by a Hamas prime minister, replacing it with an emergency cabinet. Mr Abbas accused Hamas of trying to assassinate him during a planned visit to Gaza a month ago, saying he had seen videotapes in which militants discussed explosives that would be used to kill him.
In the wake of the Gaza takeover Mr Abbas sacked the Palestinian government, led by Prime Minister Ismail Haniya of Hamas, and replaced it with an emergency cabinet.