The Associated Press  - Tuesday, December 19, 2006

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip

Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh on Tuesday called for an end to Palestinian infighting and urged warring factions to unite in the struggle against Israel.

"This nation, this people will be united in front of the occupation and aggression and will not be engaged, despite the wounds of the past few days, in internal fighting," Haniyeh said in a televised speech.

Haniyeh also repeated his opposition to President Mahmoud Abbas` plan for early elections as a way of ending the political crisis in the Palestinian areas. Hamas defeated Abbas` Fatah movement in legislative elections early this year.

"I want to clarify that we consider the issue of the early elections for the presidency and parliament unconstitutional," Haniyeh said. "If you consider the people the source of power, why are you working against the will of the people."

Haniyeh has said Hamas would boycott any new election.

Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh said early elections were the solution to the deadlock.

"What is needed is preservation of calm and solving all problems with dialogue."

During the rambling, 90-minute speech, Haniyeh laid out a case for his government and blamed Abbas for the violence and political deadlock ravaging the Palestinian areas.

But he also made conciliatory gestures to Abbas. "We have to show self-restraint and dialogue to resolve our differences," he said. "I am calling on everyone to calm down and ease the tensions and end the armed displays that worsen tensions."

As a first step toward ending the violence, he urged his interior minister to convene a meeting of rival security chiefs later Tuesday to discuss ways to calm the situation.

Haniyeh also reiterated a call for a long-term truce with Israel and formation of a temporary Palestinian state alongside the Jewish state. He said the truce could last as long as 20 years, after an independent Palestinian state is established in territories captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war.

Israel rejects a full withdrawal to the pre-1967 borders.

Hamas officials have proposed a long-term truce in the past.

Israel and the international community insist that the militant group fully recognize Israel`s right to exist.

Hamas, which is committed to Israel`s destruction, has repeatedly rejected the demand, despite Western sanctions that have caused widespread hardship in the Palestinian territories.

Haniyeh accused the U.S., which has led the international efforts to isolate Hamas, of trying to overthrow his government.

"There was a direct decision to bring down this government and make it collapse, and the Americans are behind this policy," he said.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack dismissed Haniyeh`s accusation, saying the Hamas leader was trying to distract attention from his and his government`s failure to deliver on promises to improve the lives of the Palestinian people.