Egypt says 'hidden hands' behind Palestinian infighting

CAIRO: Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit claimed Tuesday that hidden hands are behind deadly Palestinian infighting and called on all factions to be mature in their responses. The minister was speaking at a joint news conference with his Jordanian counterpart Abdel Ilah Al-Khatib, after a meeting between Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan s King Abdullah II. If there are hidden hands, which is something we recognize, then it is up to the Palestinians to be mature and realize that all the efforts they have made in the last 60 years are at stake, Aboul Gheit told reporters. If there are those who wish to facilitate the Palestinian fighting for their own interests, then it is up to the Palestinians to stand up and follow the right path, he said. Egypt last week ended a series of talks with Palestinian factions in Cairo, in an attempt to cement a May 16 ceasefire deal between president Mahmoud Abbas Fatah party and the Islamist movement Hamas, which share a unity government. But clashes in the Palestinian territories broke out shortly after the Egyptian mediation concluded. Deadly fighting between Fatah and Hamas has killed 18 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since Monday, threatening to topple the unity government. Khatib called on all parties to stop the fighting for the sake of the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian people and to allow Arab parties to support the Palestinian position.