Israeli President Shimon Peres pledged Monday that his country would work for a tangible result at an upcoming US-sponsored Middle East peace conference, saying that the Jewish state is ready to make peace with the Palestinians.

Gunfire killed at least seven people and wounded 80 on Monday at a Fateh memorial rally for Yasser Arafat attended by more than 200,000 supporters of the defeated faction in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

Lebanon’s Western-backed ruling coalition on Monday accused the pro-Syrian opposition party Hizbollah of obstructing initiatives to resolve a crisis over the looming presidential election.