Israel 'won't cause Gaza crisis'

Mr Olmert and Mr Abbas agreed to continue working on the deal

Israel has vowed not to cause a humanitarian crisis in Gaza - despite plans to cut fuel and electricity in a bid to halt rocket attacks.

"We will take the steps needed but we will not allow a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip," PM Ehud Olmert told Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

Meeting in Jerusalem, before a US-led peace conference, the leaders made little progress on a joint statement.

Israel supplies 60% of the electricity for Gaza's 1.5 million inhabitants.

'Collective punishment'

"Israel will protect its citizens," Mr Olmert told Mahmoud Abbas, according to Israeli government spokeswoman Miri Eisin.

Both leaders agreed to implementing the stalled 2003 roadmap to peace as part of the joint statement due before the US-led peace conference, Ms Eisin said.

We call for an end to these meetings, which have become a cover for the killings, destruction... and the escalation of the aggression against the Gaza Strip Ismail Haniya Hamas

The conference is due in November in Annapolis, Maryland, and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has been touring the Middle East to secure a joint agreement that would allow it to go ahead.

"They [Mr Olmert and Mr Abbas] agreed to try to reach, as soon as possible, a meaningful statement," Ms Eisin said.

The leader of the Hamas faction in Gaza, Ismail Haniya, condemned Friday's meeting.

"We call for an end to these meetings, which have become a cover for the killings, destruction, assassinations, incursions and the escalation of the aggression against the Gaza Strip - including talk of new collective punishments," Mr Haniya said.

Palestinians have said they will only attend the Annapolis conference if key issues are up for discussion, including the final status of Jerusalem, the borders of a future Palestinian state and the right of return for refugees.

The Israelis have said no prior text is needed as a basis for the talks.

The events in Gaza underline the enormous difficulties of advancing the Israeli-Palestinian dialogue, says the BBC's Tim Franks in Jerusalem.

There is a growing belief among the Palestinian and Israeli public that this diplomatic process will offer no significant advance, our correspondent adds.