GAZA, June 8: Palestinian efforts to persuade the Hamas resistance movement to reconsider its decision to end ceasefire talks with Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas failed on Saturday, a well- informed Palestinian source said.

The source, who asked not to be identified, told Deutsche Presse- Agentur dpa that Hamas leaders insisted Abbas has to change statements he made on Wednesday in Aqaba, Jordan, during a summit with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and US President George W. Bush that he would end violence against Israelis.

In response, Israel once again closed the West Bank, citing threats of attacks, Israel Radio reported, while a Palestinian was killed by Israeli troops in the southern Gaza Strip when he opened fire on a convoy belonging to Israeli settlers as well as an Israeli troop post, Palestinian witnesses said.

Hamas spokesman Abdel Aziz Ranteesi, who announced Hamas’ decision a day earlier to stop its dialogue with Abbas, told dpa on Saturday that the prime minister, who is also known as Abu Mazen, failed to talk Wednesday about Palestinian suffering and described the Palestinian intifada, or uprising, as terrorism and violence.

He added that Abbas had neglected the Palestinian refugees, prisoners, deportees, Jewish settlements, resistance to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian-controlled lands and “most importantly, he didn’t define who is the terrorist”.

Ranteesi said Hamas would resume talks only after Abbas distanced himself from his declaration at the Aqaba summit.—dpa