Palestinian leader makes appeal to U.N.

new york » Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel on Friday of conducting a “war of genocide” and a “series of absolutewar crimes” during the 50-day summer conflict in Gaza but stopped short of saying he will pursue war crime charges against the Jewish state at the International Criminal Court.

In his speech at the U.N. General Assembly, Abbas said he would seek a U.N. resolution to set a deadline for Israel to pull out of Palestinian lands captured in the 1967war but did not include a three-year deadline as his aides said he would.

“This last war against Gaza was a series of absolutewar crimes carried out before the eyes and ears of the entire world, moment by moment,” Abbas said. The devastation “is unmatched in modern times.”

Israel denounced the allegations as “a speech of incitement filled with lies.”

Israel launched thousands of airstrikes against what it said were Hamaslinked targets in Gaza, while Gaza militants fired several thousand rockets at Israel. More than 2,100 Palestinians were killed, a large majority civilians, and about 18,000 homes were destroyed, according to U.N. figures. Sixty-six soldiers and six civilianswere killed on the Israeli side.

The devastatingwar has weakened Abbas domestically, with his Hamas rivals enjoying a surge of popularity among Palestinians for fighting Israel.