国际英语新闻：Palestinians demonstrate against negotiations with Israel

GAZA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of Palestinian demonstrators on Saturday gathered in the Gaza Strip to protest against the Palestinian National Authority (PNA)'s decision to resume peace talks with Israel.

The demonstration was organized by the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP). The PNA on August 20 accepted an U. S. invitation to attend a meeting in Washington in early September to resume the direct Palestinian-Israeli negotiations.

The protestors marched through a main street in Gaza City, waving Palestinian flags and chanting slogans describing the discussions as "playful" as long as the Israeli commitment to freeze Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem is unavailable.

"We clearly reject the direct negotiations since it doesn't have an international reference," said Saleh Zidan, a DFLP official in Gaza.

He urged the Palestinian leadership to withdraw from the talks "because Israel will use them to cover up the resumption of settlement and aggression."

In May, the United States brokered indirect discussions to bridge the gaps between Israel and the Palestinians after more than 15 months of stall.

Most of the Palestinian factions opposed the resumption of the talks and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party did not come up with a united stance regarding the talks.