JERUSALEM — The frontrunner in the race for Palestinian Authority chairman has for the first time publicly embraced the Fatah insurgency movement.

PLO chairman Mahmoud Abbas, believed to be the leading candidate for PA chairman, has met Palestinian insurgents accused of masterminding suicide bombing attacks against Israel. Abbas met insurgents in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and pledged to protect them against Israel's military.

"We will not forget those wanted by Israel," Abbas said. "These are the heroes who are fighting for freedom."

It was the first time that Abbas openly embraced Palestinian insurgents in the four-year-old war against Israel. Over the last year, Abbas repeatedly called for the end of the war on grounds that it has failed to achieve any political gains, Middle East Newsline reported.

On Saturday, Abbas visited refugee camps in the Gaza Strip and met insurgents from the ruling Fatah movement. The PLO chairman said in the southern city of Rafah that he was committed to protecting the insurgents against Israel and that he would allow them to carry weapons.

Israeli officials have been dismayed by what they termed Abbas's dalliance with Palestinian insurgency groups. They said despite his criticism of the Palestinian insurgency, Abbas has failed to demonstrate that he would act against these groups after the Jan. 9 elections in the PA.

Earlier, Abbas visited the Jenin refugee camp and met Fatah insurgency leader Zakariya Zbeidi. Zbeidi, regarded as the planner of numerous Palestinian suicide attacks against Israeli targets, greeted Abbas, who was lifted on the shoulders of Fatah gunmen.

Hours after Abbas's appearance on Dec. 30, Israeli troops arrested Zbeidi's brother, Jibril. Jibril has also been wanted by Israeli military authorities.

Palestinian sources said Abbas was rewarding Zbeidi and other insurgency commanders for their support. Zbeidi, commander of Fatah's Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, opposed the candidacy of Marwan Barghouti, head of Fatah in the West Bank and a rival of Abbas.

"Abu Mazen [Abbas] wants to show that he is supported by the armed faction of Fatah and is not simply a candidate of Israel and the United States," a Fatah source said.

Abbas's meetings with Palestinian insurgency groups came as Hamas and its allies renewed missile strikes on Israel. On Saturday, four Kassam-class short-range missiles slammed into Israel, including the city of Sderot.

There were no reports of injuries.

One Palestinian missile fell into the Jebalya refugee camp on Saturday and killed a 10-year-old Palestinian girl. The Palestinian insurgency group that fired the missile was not identified.