Mahmoud Abbas (2nd L) is sworn in as new chairman of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) in the West Bank city of Ramallah Jan. 15, 2005.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas vowed on Saturday to negotiate a peaceful end to the "vicious circle" of Mideast violence, against a grim backdrop of continuing Palestinian-Israeli clashes and a suspension of contacts by Israel.

In his inauguration speech Saturday, Abbas said he wanted a mutual cease-fire but the Israelis must learn to share land if they want an end to their four-year conflict with Palestinians.

Condemning the violence taking place in the past few days, the new president of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) said "we are seeking a mutual cease-fire to end this vicious circle."

"We want to end the ongoing conflict between us and the Israelis forever, and the Palestinian National Authority is expressing its commitment to implementing the roadmap peace plan," he said.

"The Palestinians are ready to implement the first part of the roadmap peace plan, and I extend my hand to the Israelis and I want to tell them that we are two peoples living on one land and we have to live side by side with each other," he added.

Abbas also urged the Israelis to learn to share land with Palestinians. "From this forum, I say to the Israeli leadership and to the Israeli people: we are two peoples, destined to live side by side and to share this land between us," he said.

Abbas' speech came amid renewed violence Saturday in Gaza which left eight Palestinians dead and cast a dark cloud over the swearing-in of Abbas as new Palestinian leader.

Twenty-year-old Abdel Rauf Abu Namus from the radical Islamic Jihad faction was killed late Saturday after opening fire on Israeli troops, Palestinian medics said.

Earlier, five died and seven were injured in an Israeli incursion into the Zeitun neighborhood of Gaza City, medics said. Two more died and five were wounded in the Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip, they said.

The Israeli operations came after six Israelis were killed in a Palestinian militant attack on Thursday night, prompting Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to freeze all contacts with Palestine.

Three Palestinian militants infiltrated into the Israeli side of a commercial passage of Karni in eastern Gaza City on Thursday, detonated 150 kg of explosives, threw hand grenades and clashed with Israeli soldiers. Israeli army sources said.

The sources said six Israelis and three Palestinian militants, including two suicide bombers, were killed and at least 14 Israelis were injured inside the passage area.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Friday ordered all government officials to suspend contact with the PNA until it curbs violence.

"Israel informed international leaders today that there will be no meetings with Abbas until he makes a real effort to stop the terror," Sharon's spokesman Assaf Shariv announced.

In another development, Palestinian foreign minister Nabil Shaath said Saturday that Abbas will talk to militant groups in the Gaza Strip Monday about a possible cease-fire with Israel.

Abbas "will be in Gaza Monday to relaunch the dialogue with all the (Palestinian) groups and in particular Hamas and Islamic Jihad with the aim of trying to reach a cease-fire" with Israel, Shaath said.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad were fairly cool about a cease-fire, insisting on their "armed resistance" as a form of self-defense against the Israeli military.