Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas called on Islamic militants Thursday to respect a shaky cease-fire with Israel and gave them a role in preparations for Israel’s Gaza withdrawal in an apparent bid to preserve the calm.In Israel, the Supreme Court rejected settler challenges to the pullout plan, removing the last legal obstacle that threatened to derail it. Abbas took concrete steps to bring the militants on board, but there was a price. He had to grant Hamas and Islamic Jihad a formal role in coordinating the pullout with Israel, and in another move, he offered a compromise to settle a prickly dispute over parliamentary elections that has soured his relations with his main rival, Hamas.Full Story