Abbas Election Victory Stirs Hopes for Peace Talks
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RAMALLAH, West Bank  - Victory by an advocate of  non-violence in Palestinian presidential elections stirred  hopes Monday for new peace talks, but Israel demanded the  Palestinians move first by cracking down on militants.
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European Union and Arab leaders have voiced hopes of a breakthrough in the Middle East peace process, following recent statements by Israel and Hamas and a three-day old ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and   Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas on Monday reached a deal   to form a unity government that the Palestinians hope will end   their international isolation and revive aid.
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Marwan Barghouti, held in an Israeli jail, is favourite to become Palestinian leader. But his election could be a setback for peace talks, reports Patrick Bishop.
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HOPES of progress towards Middle East peace rose last night after Israel and the Palestinian Authority backed Tony Blairâs call for a London conference that could be a step towards the opening of negotiations on a final settlement.
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A rare optimism is taking hold among Palestinians amid signs of a possible breakthrough in the long-deadlocked Mideast peace process.
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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas struck a deal Monday to share power with the militant Islamic Hamas, an accord that would restore international aid and could lead to contacts with Israel.
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Prominent Palestinian figures have appealed for an end to violence, adding weight to the election campaign of moderate Mahmoud Abbas to succeed Yasser Arafat and launch peace talks with Israel.
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A new cease-fire and a strikingly conciliatory speech by Israel's prime minister are raising hopes for progress in Mideast peacemaking.
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TEL AVIV Mahmoud Abbas, the new leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the man expected to be elected president of the Palestinian Authority, has been making progress in persuading radical groups like Hamas to hold their fire against Israeli
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RAMALLAH, West Bank  -- PLO chief Mahmud Abbas, who has emerged as the most likely winner of January&#39;s Palestinian election to succeed Yasser Arafat, is a polished and moderate politician more admired abroad than at home.
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Peace gestures gain momentum, but Sharon and Abbas must still face hard-line opposition groups.
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Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, frontrunner to succeed Yasser Arafat, said Wednesday that he expected negotiations on Israel's plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip after Palestinian elections next month.
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GAZA CITY -- Hamas officials gave Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas the go-ahead yesterday for negotiations with Israel, a major shift in the militant Islamic group's position as it works to end its international isolation.
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RAMALLAH, West Bank  - Palestinians voted on  Sunday for a successor to Yasser Arafat and looked likely to  elect Mahmoud Abbas, who has promised to revive peacemaking  with Israel after years of bloodshed.
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RAMALLAH, West Bank  - Middle East peace hopes  were boosted Monday when Mahmoud Abbas was elected Palestinian  president and the Israeli parliament endorsed Ariel Sharon's  new coalition to implement his planned Gaza pullout.
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RAMALLAH: Prominent Palestinian figures appealed yesterday for an end to violence, adding weight to the election campaign of moderate Mahmoud Abbas to succeed Yasser Arafat and launch peace talks with Israel.