US President George W Bush who is on a visit to Israel to revive the stalled Mid-East peace mission urged the Jewish country to end its occupation of the West Bank.

A Palestinian was seriously wounded in the West Bank when President Mahmoud Abbas' security forces opened fire at a funeral for a man killed in a protest against Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, medics said.

Four Palestinians have been killed and more than 30 injured in clashes between the Hamas-controlled security forces and members of a Fatah-affiliated clan in the Gaza Strip, local media said Thursday.

Israeli troops imposed a curfew on downtown Nablus and clashed with Fatah militants as the army's activities moved Thursday from Gaza to the West Bank.

Hamas rulers of Gaza Strip on Tuesday called for a "national dialogue" with their vanquished Fatah foes in a step likely made to prevent growing international isolation.

Palestinians are grappling this week with a new political reality - the Palestinian territories are now effectively split between Fatah in the West Bank and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. VOA's Jim Teeple reports from our Jerusalem bureau the split is likely to fundamentally change how Israel, western donor nations and Israel's neighbors such as Egypt deal with the Palestinians.

The European Union said Monday it will resume direct aid payments to the new Palestinian government of Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in the West Bank.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is warning that factional infighting has put Palestinians on the verge of civil war. VOA's Jim Teeple reports from Jerusalem, the comments were made as the Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah fought a three-hour gunbattle near the main commercial crossing point between the Gaza Strip and Israel.