GAZA CITY, 3 March 2008 — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas formally suspended all contacts with Israel yesterday in protest against the recent spate of attacks on Gazans and designated yesterday a day of mourning.

“The negotiations are suspended as are all contacts on all levels. In light of the Israeli aggression, such communication has no meaning,” Abbas’ spokesman Nabeel Abu Rudeina said in a statement. He added that Abbas had ordered the negotiating team to suspend all contacts with Israel “until the aggression stops.” The ongoing Gaza offensive has killed more than 100 Palestinians, many of them civilians.

However, Rudeina stopped short of declaring dead the US-brokered statehood talks opposed by Hamas members who seized control of the Gaza Strip from the Fatah movement in June.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian territories went into a three-day mourning as protests against the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza mounted.

Israeli air and ground attacks killed 61 people on Saturday — the bloodiest day for Palestinians since an uprising against Israeli occupation began in 2000 — while more than 10 Palestinians died yesterday, the second day of the attacks. Anti-Israeli demonstrations erupted in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli forces confronting stone-throwers near the town of Hebron shot dead a 14-year-old boy wearing a Hamas headband, witnesses said.

Abbas’ Decision a Mistake: Israel

Israel said it was acting in self-defense in Gaza Strip to curb constant cross-border rocket attacks and threatened to intensify its ground and air campaign despite allegations it was using excessive force. Arye Mekel, spokesman for Israel’s chief negotiator, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, said Abbas’ decision was a mistake and expressed hope the talks would resume “in the very near future.” Nine rockets slammed into southern Israel, wounding four people, Israeli ambulance workers said.

“Israel has no intention of stopping the fight against the terrorist organizations even for a minute,” Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told his Cabinet, facing the new challenge of long-range rockets hitting the major southern Israeli city of Ashkelon.

Olmert said striking at Hamas only advanced the cause of peace, and “the Palestinian leadership — the one with which we wish to make peace — understands this.”

“We are acting to hit the Hamas infrastructure ... the final target is to bring an end to the firing of Qassams,” Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said about the crude rockets.

Earlier, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon accused Israel of using “excessive force.” He demanded a halt to air and ground attacks and militants’ rocket salvoes.

“With all due respect ... no one has the right to preach morality to Israel for employing its elementary right of self-defense,” Olmert said.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is due to meet Abbas and Olmert this week. Washington has said it hoped Israeli-Palestinian talks could lead to a statehood deal before President George W. Bush leaves office in January.

Meeting in an emergency session, the UN Security Council said it was deeply concerned about civilian deaths in southern Israel and the Gaza Strip and urged a cessation of violence.

“We are capable of sustaining the fight and tolerating (attacks) beyond the expectations of the enemy,” said Abu Ubaida, spokesman of Hamas’ Ezzeldin Al-Qassam Brigades.

— With input from agencies