Palestine ends contact with Israel amid tension in West Bank

Palestine on Monday decided to stop all contacts, meetings and security coordination with the Israeli government in protest against the latter's brutal raids in the West Bank that had killed eight Palestinians and wounded 80 others.

The decision was made during an emergency meeting of the Palestinian leadership chaired by President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah, according to an official statement.

During the meeting, Abbas called on the Palestinians "to stand firm and steadfast, to unite and defend the land and sanctities," the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

The Palestinian leadership "renews its call for the international community to protect the Palestinian people in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip," the report added.