By Xinhua
Gaza : Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement in Gaza Strip Wednesday called on US President George W. Bush to help in stopping expansion of Israeli settlement in the West Bank and lifting siege on the Gaza Strip.
The US president, who arrived in Israel Wednesday starting an eight-day visit to the region, is scheduled to meet Abbas Thursday in the West Bank city of Ramallah in efforts to push the stalled peace process forward.
The visit also comes amid continued feud between rival Fatah and Hamas movement, which seized control of the Gaza Strip by force last June. Bush is to skirt the Gaza Strip during his visit in the region.
A top priority for Bush during the tour is to push forward the Palestinian-Israeli peace process after last November’s Annapolis conference.
Peace talks between the two sides after the meeting have so far made little progress because of Israeli settlement activities and military actions in the Gaza Strip in response to rocket attacks from there.
“We demand President Bush to announce his clear and neutral stances towards the Israeli acts against the Palestinian people,” Zakareia al-Agha, a member of Fatah’s central committee said at a news conference here.
“The success of Bush’s visit is subject to the neutrality, forcing Israel to stop all forms of settlement activities, lifting the siege on the Gaza Strip and opening the crossings before the Palestinians,” al-Agha added.
Urging the Palestinian Authority (PA) to freeze peace talks if settlement buildings continue, the Fatah leader also warned the Palestinian negotiators not to make concessions during Bush’s visit.