Abbas, courting votes, vows to protect Palestinian militants

GAZA CITY, Gaza — Interim Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said in an Associated Press interview yesterday that he wants to protect militants, rejecting Israeli demands that he crack down on them. It was his latest campaign gesture aimed at courting militants seen by many Palestinians as resistance heroes and by Israel as terrorists.

In the interview, Abbas, who is the heavy favorite to be elected Palestinian Authority president next Sunday, defended a series of recent public appearances with gunmen, saying the Palestinian leadership has a responsibility to protect its people.

"When we see them, when we meet them and when they welcome us, we owe them," Abbas said. "This debt always is to protect them from assassination, to protect them from killing and all these things they are subject to by the Israelis."

Abbas also said the armed militants are ready "to live within the society" if they are granted peace and security. "To remain wanted here and there, this is something no one could accept."

Abbas spoke to the AP in his Gaza City office, hours after he was warmly welcomed by dozens of Palestinian gunmen in the Rafah refugee camp, a frequent flash point of Israeli-Palestinian fighting.

The rally, in which he praised as heroes Palestinian fugitives wanted by Israel, was the latest in a series of public appearances alongside gunmen.

Abbas' aides have described the campaign stops as election politics. Abbas, who has criticized violence and favors a negotiated peace settlement with Israel, will need to rally the young gunmen behind him to push forward with his agenda after the Jan. 9 election.

But his campaign tactics have raised concerns in Israel about his commitment to peace. Israel refused to negotiate with longtime Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, accusing him of backing terrorism. Arafat died Nov. 11.

"We will see how he acts when he is elected, whether he will follow the path of terrorism like Arafat or not," a senior Israeli official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Abbas called for a comprehensive solution of the conflict, including an end to Israel's control of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, and a fair resolution for hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees.

"We should bring all of these subjects to the table in order to reach a final settlement," he said.