RAMALLAH, West Bank - Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas said Tuesday that his security services had foiled dozens of anti-Israeli attacks by militant groups.
"We have thwarted dozens of attacks against Israelis and we have handed over shells, bombs and (explosive) belts to the Israelis as part of an agreement with the Americans," Abbas told Israeli journalists in an interview at his offices in the West Bank town of Ramallah.
"The Israeli government should help us. We are foiling attacks while we are under occupation -- just ask the army and (the internal Israeli security service) Shin Beth," he added.
Abbas, who replaced the late Yasser Arafat as president of the Palestinian Authority in January, said there were a small number of people who wanted to wreck the peace process which was given a major boost in February when he met Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
"There are a small number of individuals who are trying to sabotage the peace process (on the Palestinian side) just as you have in Israel where rabbis want to attack the Al-Aqsa mosque in order to spark a new war," he said.
Abbas was referring to mounting fears that Israeli ultra-nationalists may try to attack the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, a site which is also sacred to Jews, in order to disrupt the upcoming Israeli pullout from Gaza.
An initial honeymoon period between Sharon and Abbas has rapidly faded in recent weeks after the Israeli leader accused his Palestinian counterpart of failing to institute a crackdown on militant groups such as Hamas.
Abbas also denounced an Israeli plan to keep its large West Bank settlement blocs, an intention reiterated by Sharon at a summit with US President George W. Bush in Texas last week.
Bush reiterated at the summit in Texas that it was "unrealistic" to expect for Israel to leave all parts of the occupied territory under the terms of any final status agreement, but Abbas said that did not give Israel the automatic right to keep hold of the settlement blocs.
"An alteration to the borders should not mean that Israel can keep four settlement blocs which would divide the West Bank into four separate states," he said.
"The maintenance and expanision of the settlements is a reflection of insincerity."
The Palestinian Authority has denounced plans unveiled by Israel Monday to expand a settlement in the northern West Bank as a threat to a two-state solution and a clear violation of a US-backed peace plan known as the roadmap.
Abbas also said the Palestinian Authority was ready to coordinate with Israel on the pullout of troops and settlers from the Gaza Strip later this year, and backed Israeli plans to keep the homes of settlers intact.
"We are ready to coordinate and meetings of this subject will begin next week," he said.
"I would prefer that they would leave the houses," he added. "We are trying to ensure that the withdrawal takes place calmly and in a spirit of cooperation."
04/19/2005 15:37 GMT