JERUSALEM, Jan. 10 (Xinhuanet) -- Israeli Prime Minister Arial Sharon on Monday urged Palestinian president-elect Mahmoud Abbas to prevent militants from attacking Israel, according to Jerusalem Post.

    "At the current stage, after Sunday's election, the main thing is to focus on what the Palestinians are doing regarding terrorism," Sharon told visiting US Senator John Kerry in his Jerusalem office.

    Sharon said that Israel would be prepared to resume cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian security organizations and coordinate various issues in the framework of the disengagement plan.

    But he said that if attacks continues until the implementation of the disengagement plan, Israel's response would be sharper than ever before.

    Palestinian militant groups including Hamas have defied Abbas's demand to end rocket and mortar bomb attacks on Jewish settlements in Gaza Strip from where Israel has planned a pullback later this year.

    Kerry, who lost the 2004 US presidential election to incumbent George W. Bush, emphasized that Israel is a special ally of the US, adding that everyone hopes that Abbas will be a peacemaking leader. Enditem