Abbas calls for protests, Fabius for ceasefire

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas called on Sunday for Palestinians to stage "peaceful" demonstrations against Israel's military offensive on Gaza militant groups. "I call on the Palestinian people to intensify their peaceful demonstrations in the streets against the Israeli aggression in Gaza," he said at a meeting with the Palestinian leadership. On another note, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Sunday a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza militants was an urgent necessity and that Paris is willing to help broker a truce. "War is not an option - it is never an option," Fabius told journalists in Tel Aviv. "There are two key words: urgency and ceasefire," he said.