The presidents of Israel and the Palestinian Authority have made a rare joint appearance before a foreign legislature, pledging to put an end to ongoing conflict in the troubled region.

The Turkish capital, Ankara, is hosting the Israeli and Palestinian presidents. The two leaders are meeting with their Turkish counterpart and the prime minister. The visit comes ahead of an expected peace summit in the United States.

Hamas arrested scores of rival Fatah party members in night-time raids in the Gaza Strip, Fatah officials say, hours after Islamist gunmen opened fire on a mass rally, killing seven people.

Three days of mourning have been declared for seven people killed in the Gaza Strip, Monday. VOA's Jim Teeple reports more than 80 people were wounded in the incident.

Israel is to release more than 400 Palestinian prisoners in a goodwill gesture before an upcoming U.S.-sponsored peace conference, Prime minister Ehud Olmert said on Monday.

Hamas gunmen have opened fire on a massive opposition Fatah rally in central Gaza, killing at least six protesters and wounding around another 100, local media report.

Israel will set a precondition that the Palestinians recognise it as "a Jewish state" during negotiations after the US sponsored Middle East peace conference in Annapolis, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said.

Following talks this week with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he believes there is a real possibility of achieving peace with Israel.

Palestinian drivers blocked traffic in the middle of a busy road in Gaza City Tuesday in protest against Israeli fuel curtailment to the strip.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is seeking to reach an agreement on key issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a year, while President Bush is still in office, a top Israeli paper said Friday.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with Hamas leaders on Friday for the first time since the Islamist group ousted his forces and took control of the Gaza Strip in a bloody conflict in June.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas held a rare meeting on Friday with members of the Islamic group Hamas, four months after Hamas militants defeated his own forces and took over the Gaza Strip.