Negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority are to continue despite the massacre of eight young yeshiva students and wounding of 11 others by a PA Arab resident of Jerusalem Thursday night.

PA Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas called on Israel not to abandon the talks in the wake of the attack which shook the country.

PA residents in Gaza were photographed celebrating the massacre, handing out candies and firing gunshots in the air.

In a speech from his Ramallah headquarters Saturday to mark International Women’s Day, Abbas referred to Israel’s “Operation Warm Winter” in which the IDF killed some 120 PA Arab residents of Gaza, most of whom were terrorists. The PA Chairman briefly suspended talks with Israel last Sunday to protest the move.

The counterterrorism operation, which lasted several days, came in response to intensified rocket and mortar attacks on Israeli civilians in southern Israel. More than 20 Grad-type Katyusha rockets were fired a week earlier at the coastal city of Ashkelon, as well as a constant rain of shorter-range homemade Kassam rockets on the city of Sderot and other Gaza Belt communities.

Abbas also called for the reopening of the Rafiah border crossing with Egypt, which was closed due to security concerns since the Hamas terrorist organization took control over the region last June.

In addition, he appealed to Gaza terrorists to stop the rocket attacks, saying they were counterproductive to securing a final status agreement with Israel.

“Despite all the Israeli attacks we call for peace and we are keen on peace built on international legitimacy,” said Abbas. “There is no other way but peace.”

Government Agrees to Continue Talks

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said shortly after the attack Thursday night that Israel would continue the talks despite the slaughter.

“[The attack] shows that the Palestinian Authority is not fighting terror hard enough,” said Olmert, but added that negotiations would not be stopped.

A spokesman for Livni agreed, saying “These terrorists are trying to destroy the chances of peace – but we certainly will continue the peace talks.”