Rival Palestinians call truce; Israel kills three

MIDDLE EAST: The Fatah faction of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Hamas group agreed on Wednesday to halt their clashes even as they headed for a showdown over Abbas's threat to hold a referendum on a statehood proposal.

Violence flared at the Gaza border with Israel as Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian policeman and two civilians and wounded five other people, medics and witnesses said.

The Israeli army said troops opened fire at three men they suspected were trying to infiltrate the tense frontier near the Karni commercial crossing.

Witnesses said the troops fired more than once and shot artillery and a missile from a pilotless drone. Medics said some of the injuries suggested artillery fire was used. The army denied using artillery fire.

Abbas has given the Hamas government until the end of the week to accept a manifesto calling for a Palestinian state that implicitly recognises Israel or face a vote on the issue.

The president would issue a decree on Saturday setting the stage for the referendum if the Hamas Islamists still refused to back the proposal, Abbas's spokesman, Nabil Abu Rdainah, said.With shootouts between Hamas and Fatah now frequent, many Palestinians fear a referendum could trigger more violence.

But after a meeting in the impoverished Gaza strip brokered by Egyptian officials, Fatah and Hamas leaders urged calm.

"We order men from Fatah and Hamas to respect the holiness of Palestinian blood," said Khalil Al-Hayya, a Hamas leader. Gaza, Thursday, Reuters