Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called here Friday on the United States to exert its pressure against Israeli escalations.

Abbas made the call while holding a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu-Rdeineh told the press.

During the phone conversation called by Rice, Abbas briefed Rice on the latest developments on the Palestinian arena and the bad economic conditions in which the Palestinians are living, Abu- Rdeineh said.

Denouncing the continued Israeli escalations, Abbas urged the US administration to intervene to preserve the cooling off, Abu- Rdeineh added.

According to the Palestinian official, Rice promised Abbas to exert efforts with the Israeli side.

Israel has recently threatened to carry out a large-scale military operation into the north of Gaza after Palestinian militants increased rocket attacks against southern Israeli communities and towns.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian government led by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) is facing a grave financial shortage caused by the West's cutoff of crucial aid and Israel's freezing of tax revenues it collects on behalf of the Palestinians.

Key donors including the United States and the European Union ( EU) have demanded Hamas to renounce violence, recognize Israel's right to exist and abide by previous Palestinian-Israeli deals if aid is to resume, but Hamas, which calls for Israel's destruct, has refused to heed the calls.

Source: Xinhua