Palestinian groups deny claim they'd halt attacks

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday that Palestinian factions have agreed to halt all acts that could invite Israeli aggression, but insurgents quickly denied his claim. At a meeting Wednesday, all factions agreed to cease "all actions that, by their nature, give others an excuse to attack us," Abbas said in a speech before a new crop of presidential guards. But Abu Obeidah, a spokesman for Hamas' military wing, said no such agreement had been reached.