Palestinian leader doubts in peace process potential

Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas slammed Israel for escalating tensions and jeopardising the peace process after troops shot dead three Palestinian militants in the northern West Bank.

"This escalation puts the peace process into a dangerous impasse," the Palestinian leader told journalists in Gaza City just hours after the army shot dead two Islamic Jihad militants and a local leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, an offshoot of his Fatah party.

"We condemn these acts and call on Israel to stop, especially as all the Palestinian movements have committed themselves to respect the truce and to end the carrying of weapons," he added.

The three were killed at dawn during two army raids in the northern city of Jenin and the nearby town of Birqin.

In response to the killing of local leader Samer al-Saadi, a top Al Aqsa leader assured the group would no longer be party to the truce agreement, AFP reports.