Al-Ghad (Jordan): Abbas calls for truce with Israel; Rice talks about U.S. support to confront Hamas – After talks with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas yesterday called for a cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinians, saying the latest Israeli aggression on Gaza was unjustified. Rice called for a resumption of peace negotiations and sharply criticized Hamas, as she spoke about U.S. support to confront the Islamist organization.

Al-Ayyam (West Bank): Barak threatens: Military operations will continue in Gaza until 'terrorist' attacks stop – Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak yesterday said military operations in the Gaza Strip will continue, referring to the bloody incursions that killed more than 100 Palestinians. In response to accusations that Israel's response to rocket fire was disproportionate, Barak said that "those who fire the rockets are the ones responsible."

al-Quds al-Arabi (London): U.S. report: Bush administration sought civil war in Gaza to topple Hamas – U.S. officials and secret documents reveal the Bush administration sought to finance a civil war in Gaza through Mohammed Dahlan, national security adviser to Abbas, which would lead to the collapse of Hamas' rule. A report in Vanity Fair monthly magazine said in its April edition that the plan was estimated to cost $1.27 billion, in which $30 million was paid, adding that Abbas refused to submit to American pressure to hold early elections and instead formed a coalition government.

Al-Rayah (Qatar): Iran: Security Council sanctions resolution 'worthless' – Iran considered as "worthless" a U.N. Security Council resolution that added sanctions on Tehran for its nuclear program, insisting the decision will not stop it from pursuing its program. Foreign Ministry spokesman Muhammad Ali Hosseini condemned the resolution, saying it will "have no effect on the Iranian people and the government's determination in seeking its legitimate and lawful right for peaceful nuclear activities."

Al-Watan (Bahrain): Kuwait to confiscate vehicles with pictures of outside leaders and flags – The Kuwaiti government has decided to confiscate any car that carries pictures of leaders and flags representing countries other than Kuwait, including non-Kuwaiti political parties. The decision came after a political crisis was sparked by a memorial ceremony held in Kuwait for Lebanon's Hezbollah military leader Imad Mughnieh, in which Hezbollah flags and pictures of its leader Hassan Nasrallah were raised.