Protester shot dead by Palestinian police
A protester against the Annapolis peace conference was shot dead by Palestinian police loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas today.
The Liberation Party, a tiny Islamic group calling for the establishment of a pan-Muslim state through peaceful means, said 36-year-old Hisham Baradiyeh was shot in the chest during demonstrations in Hebron on the West Bank.
Abbas, who is in Annapolis, banned protests against the conference. Enforcing the ban, police broke up small protests throughout his West Bank stronghold. There were no other deaths reported, though several people were seriously injured.
Meanwhile tens of thousands of people in the Gaza Strip ruled by rivals Hamas rallied against the conference while its leader there said Hamas would not lay down its arms and insisted the summit was "doomed to failure."
Ismail Haniyeh spoke as protesters began filling a huge square in Gaza City, chanting "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" and calling President Abbas a "collaborator" for attending Annapolis.
Gaza's Hamas rulers have been staging daily demonstrations against the conference, restating their commitment to Israel's destruction and promising to reject any decisions that come out of Annapolis.
Polls show that a majority of both Palestinians and Israelis favour a negotiated settlement to their century-old conflict. However, a majority on each side is also sceptical that the current peace push will bear fruit.
Hamas violently seized control of Gaza last June after routing forces loyal to Mr Abbas, and the president's lack of control of Gaza has raised questions about his ability to carry out a future peace deal. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said he will not implement a peace agreement without a halt to militant attacks emanating from Gaza.
In Ramallah, around 1,000 supporters waving their movement's black flag tried to march from a large mosque in the town's centre, but were immediately surrounded by police.
