Ramallah, Jan. 17 (Reuters): New Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ordered security forces today to prevent all attacks on Israel by militants who have defied his calls for calm, a cabinet minister said.

Israel described the measure as a ?small step?, but not enough to resume ties with Abbas, which it cut the day before he was sworn in to succeed Yasser Arafat on Saturday. The Israeli move followed an attack in Gaza that killed six Israelis.

Israel has made a halt to violence a condition for talks and the bloodshed in Gaza has weighed on optimism for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict after Arafat's death. ?Abu Mazen (Abbas) and the cabinet gave clear instructions to the security chiefs to prevent all kinds of violence, including attacks against Israel,? cabinet minister Qadoura Fares said.

Fares did not say exactly what action would be taken by the security forces, which have been sapped by four years of violence and some of whom lack weapons. Close ties often also exist with militants, seen as heroes by many Palestinians.