Sharon congratulates new Palestinian leader

JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon called Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday to congratulate him for his landslide victory in an election to replace Yasser Arafat, signaling Israel's readiness to work with the new Palestinian team after years of boycotting Arafat.

Both sides said a meeting will take place, but no date was set.

Abbas' election victory on Sunday and Sharon's success this week in putting together a government that favors his plan to pull out of Gaza and part of the West Bank this summer have raised hope the two leaders can break through layers of mistrust built up over four years of Israeli-Palestinian violence.

Alongside the optimism, both sides face internal problems. Palestinian National Security Adviser Jibril Rajoub resigned, and critics in Sharon's own Likud Party complained that his new government cannot survive without support from doves and Arab parties - their bitter rivals.

Sharon congratulated Abbas "on his personal achievement and his victory in the elections and wished him luck," said a statement from Sharon's office, adding, "They agreed they would continue talking in the near future."

Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia said plans for a Sharon-Abbas meeting were still in an early stage. "When the right time comes, we will go for a well-prepared meeting. We will not go just for a meeting, but for a useful one," he said.

Sharon and Abbas last met in August 2003, during Abbas' brief term as Arafat's prime minister. Abbas resigned shortly afterward, blaming Arafat for refusing to hand over authority and Israel for failing to accept his demands to ease restrictions and release Palestinian prisoners.

Israel refused to negotiate with Arafat, accusing him of encouraging attacks against Israelis. The last meeting Arafat had with an Israeli prime minister was in 2000.

In Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said Abbas failed as prime minister because Arafat "was in the way." Powell told Fox News if Abbas fights those who support violence, "the United States will be able to support him."

Before daybreak today, Israeli tanks entered Gaza City briefly, and soldiers arrested two Palestinians, witnesses and Palestinian security officials said. One gunman was slightly wounded by Israeli gunfire, they said. Israeli military officials said it was a "limited operation."

Abbas, widely considered more moderate than Arafat, has spoken out against violence, calling attacks against Israel a mistake.

Israel's first demand of the new Palestinian leadership is to make an effort to stop the violence - a precondition for peace talks. After shunning Arafat for the last four years, Israeli officials have said they are eager to get to work with Abbas.