Palestinian fighting in the Gaza Strip was sparked by the Hamas movement and expressed hope that both sides would overcome the violence. Peres told The Associated Press that he was scheduled to meet with Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia later Saturday on the sidelines of an international economic summit gathering political and business leaders seeking solutions to Mideast intricacies. "It's a harassment. It was a protest by Hamas against the Palestinian Authority," Peres said of the flare-up in Gaza, which has threatened a February truce with the Palestinians. He said Hamas was apparently trying to respond to re-elections in certain Palestinian areas called for by the Palestinian Authority. "I hope we shall overcome it," Peres said. "We do not want to escalate." Asked how Israel will respond to the outburst, he said: "With great restraint." --SP 1305 Local Time 1005 GMT
