London, Asharq Al-Awsat- Asharq al-Awsat can exclusively reveal from official sources that negotiations between the Iraqiya coalition, led by former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and the National Coalition,

JERUSALEM (AFP) – Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak have met secretly in Amman ahead of Middle East peace talks that start in Washington this week, Israeli media

TEHRAN (AFP) – Iran's foreign ministry criticised the media on Tuesday for branding French first lady Carla Bruni as "prostitute" after she expressed support for a woman sentenced to death by stoning. "Insulting

BAGHDAD, (AP) – As Vice President Joe Biden presides over the formal end to U.S. combat operations in Iraq; few Iraqis are cheering the American exit. Iraqis, who for years have railed against the U.S.

HOWZ-E-MADAD, Afghanistan, (AP) – As some 400 U.S. and Afghan soldiers gather to honor their first fallen comrade, mournful Muslim prayers mingle with the stutter of machine gun fire and the thud of

BAGHDAD (AP) - A roadside bomb killed three Iraqi soldiers responding to an earlier blast Saturday in an area south of Baghdad, officials said. One bystander was also killed. The first explosion near

BAGHDAD (AP) - A roadside bomb killed four people, including three army soldiers, and wounded 11 people south of Baghdad on Saturday, Iraqi officials said. The blast took place near the municipal offices

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The UN Security Council on Friday demanded an end to escalating violence in Darfur and called on rebel groups to join peace talks to end the seven-year conflict in the western region

BEIRUT (AP) - The ruler of Qatar is taking a firsthand look at south Lebanese border towns he helped rebuild after the 2006 Israeli bombardment. Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani's tour of the overwhelmingly

PESHAWAR, Pakistan, (AP) – Rescuers trying to reach thousands of Pakistani flood victims were hampered by deluged roads and damaged bridges Saturday, though there were signs that waters were receding

TEHRAN (Reuters) – An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 hit northeastern Iran, injuring around 170 people, state radio reported on Saturday. The tremor hit the city of Torbat-e Heydariyeh, about 700

LONDON (AFP) – An Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery in Iran pleaded to be allowed to hug her children, in a letter attributed to her released by human rights activists in London

AMMAN (AFP) – The powerful Islamist opposition has decided to boycott Jordan's November 9 general election, citing lack of government guarantees to ensure a fair poll, its leaders said on Friday. "The

Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat- Libyan-Iraqi relations are currently strained, Asharq Al Awsat can reveal. The cause of tension between the two nations developed last month after Libya submitted an unexpected

London, Asharq Al-Awsat- Senior Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar, rejected any connection between the launch of direct negotiations in Washington DC, and a terrorist attack on Route 60, which links the

BEIRUT (AFP) – Lebanon has asked Interpol to circulate an arrest warrant against a Lebanese ex-general suspecting of working for the Israeli spy agency Mossad, a judicial source said on Thursday. "Prosecutor

TEHRAN (AFP) – Hardline "thugs" surrounded the home of opposition Iranian leader Mehdi Karroubi, pelting the building with rocks to prevent the cleric from attending a rally, his website said. In the

LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) – Pakistan tightened security in the eastern city of Lahore on Thursday after three bomb attacks killed 33 people and wounded 171 and pressured the U.S.-backed government

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Israel and the Palestinians relaunched their first direct talks in 20 months here Thursday, setting out opening demands that started the clock on a daunting one-year deadline for

Militant groups in Gaza Strip say they have joined forces to step up attacks against Israel as leaders meet for peace talks

Militant groups in the Gaza Strip said last night they had joined forces to step up attacks against Israel, possibly including suicide bombings.

The statement was made as Israeli and Palestinian leaders met in Washington for the first day of direct talks yesterday and agreed that a peace deal could be achieved within a year.

George Mitchell, the White House envoy who joined the negotiations, said the two leaders decided to begin framing an agreement on all major issues – such as borders, Jerusalem, Jewish settlements and security – that will "establish the fundamental compromises necessary" to flesh out a comprehensive peace deal.

A spokesman for the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, said 13 militant groups would work together to launch "more effective attacks" against Israel.

Asked if this included suicide bombings, he said: "All options are open."

Hamas has claimed responsibility for two separate shooting attacks in the West Bank this week that killed four Israeli settlers and wounded two.

Several armed gunmen held an open-air news conference in Gaza where Abu Ubaida, a spokesman for Hamas's military wing, vowed that militants would "respond to the negotiations that aim at selling out (Palestinian) land".

The 13 armed groups also include the Islamic Jihad, the Popular Resistance Committees and a splinter armed group from Abbas's Fatah movement.

"We declare that the actions of resistance have gone into a new and advanced stage of co-operation in the field at the highest levels in preparation for more effective attacks against the enemy," Ubaida said.

Hamas was responsible for dozens of suicide attacks against Israelis during a Palestinian uprising that broke out in 2000 and eased five years later.

Hamas is a rival of Abbas's Fatah group, which governs the Israeli occupied West Bank. A rift between the two rivals deepened in 2007 after Hamas took Gaza by force from Fatah.

The rift with Hamas makes it more difficult for Abbas to sign a final peace deal with Israel.

Hamas said Abbas's security forces rounded up hundreds of its activists in the West Bank since the Islamist group claimed responsibility for killing the four Israeli settlers near the city of Hebron on Tuesday.

• Gaza
• Middle East
• Palestinian territories
• Israel
• Hamas
• Fatah

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds