Abbas gets European, Arab backing in Gaza showdown
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RAFAH, Gaza Strip  - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas won European and Arab backing on Monday for taking control of Gaza's breached border with Egypt, intensifying his power struggle with the Hamas Islamists who rule the enclave.
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The European Union hailed backing from the diplomatic quartet on the Middle East for an EU proposal for a temporary mechanism to funnel aid to the cash-strapped Palestinians.
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Middle East envoy Tony Blair said on  Thursday he was confident people in Hamas-controlled Gaza would  rally behind President Mahmoud Abbas if they thought peace  talks with Israel would succeed.
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The top American diplomat in Jerusalem said Sunday the United States will fully support Mahmoud Abbas' new government, but acknowledged that the moderate president had lost his influence over Gaza, home to more than one-third of Palestinians.
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SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt -- Israel and neighboring Arab heads of state yesterday achieved a rare moment of cooperation: a vow to bolster Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah and isolate his Hamas rivals.
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The Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, has received another boost in his campaign to replace Yasser Arafat. The militant al-Aqsa Martyrs&#39; Brigades - the armed wing of the Fatah movement - has announced that it will back his candidacy for the January poll.
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RAMALLAH, West Bank -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, emboldened by an outpouring of international support in his showdown with Hamas militants, yesterday told a receptive President Bush that it was time to restart Mideast peace talks.
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Islamists strengthen grip in Gaza but western governments, including US, side with Palestinian president in the West Bank.
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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ended his European tour Saturday without persuading any country to end crippling economic sanctions based on his power-sharing deal with the rival Islamic militant Hamas.Comment
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European Union foreign ministers  agreed on Friday to back a Palestinian national unity  government being formed by President Mahmoud Abbas with the  Hamas Islamist movement, despite U.S. misgivings.
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Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal said on  Friday several European states have pledged to send money to  the new Palestinian government, adding that key peace mediators  could also challenge the U.S. decision to shun the  Palestinians.
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The European Union moved Monday to bolster the Palestinian emergency government, offering political and financial support and urging Israel to follow suit.
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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas struck a deal Monday to share power with the militant Islamic Hamas, an accord that could restore international aid and could lead to contacts with Israel.
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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday he was rallying Arab nations to block Israel&#039;s plan to unilaterally redraw its borders and instead support the U.S.-backed proposal envisioning a Palestinian state.
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President George W. Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert pledged on Tuesday to bolster Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, as Israel sought to tighten the screws on Hamas Islamists who control Gaza.
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Leaders from Israel, Egypt and Jordan met today to show support for the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas.
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President George W. Bush on Monday will offer new support for the Fatah-led government of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, marking a higher profile effort to resolve the Middle East conflict.