Hamas said it was prepared to immediately halt Kassam attacks
on Israel from the Gaza Strip. The announcement came at a
meeting yesterday of Palestinian factions. This is the latest
in a long line of similar declarations from Hamas, which has
said repeatedly that it is ready for a temporary truce with
Israel — perhaps lasting many years — but is not
willing to recognize or make peace with "the Zionist
entity."
The meeting at which this latest declaration was made
included representatives of the five largest Palestinian
factions: Hamas, Fatah, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for
the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Democratic Front
for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP).
One of the issues has always been if all terror organizations
will accept a true agreed to by Hamas. If only Hamas stops
its terror but others continue, it is impossible for Israel
to refrain from responding.
Abbas reported that he had received a proposal from Israeli
Defense Minister Amir Peretz for a mutual cease-fire. He said
that this time Israel would agree this time to stop the
fighting from its side, as well. In the past all such
initiatives, known in Arabic as hudnas, were one-sided
Palestinian undertakings. Israel was not asked, and did not
agree, to be a party. Nonetheless, Israel did not attack
Palestinians when it was not attacked.
Defense Minister Peretz called PA President Abbas on his own,
without specific authorization from Prime Minister Olmert or
the Cabinet. He asked Abbas to halt the Kassams. "I told
Peretz that Israel must also stop firing," Abbas said he
responded to Peretz's request.
Since Peretz's initiative was private, it was not clear how
it would be dealt with by the Israeli government. The initial
reaction was not positive, as Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was
reportedly upset and prohibited Peretz from meeting with
Abbas.
After the Hamas representatives expressed a willingness to
stop firing Kassams at Israel from Gaza, Abbas demanded a
commitment from Hamas to stop attacks in the West Bank. In
response to this, the Hamas representatives said they needed
to consult with senior members of the organization before
coming to a final decision on the matter. Due to the loose
nature of the Hamas organization and the lack of a strong
central body, sometimes different officials express different
policies.
The head of the Hamas parliamentary faction also told
Ha'aretz that his organization was prepared to engage
in an immediate cease-fire with Israel, on the condition that
it be mutual. He said that Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh had
proposed returning to an agreement on a tahadiyeh
— a temporary cease-fire — before, "but now
the problem is on the Israeli side."
Individuals involved in negotiations to free kidnapped
Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit denied Palestinian reports that
talks on Shalit's release had come to a standstill. According
to the sources, talks are still ongoing and significant
progress has been made. There has never been any confirmation
from Israel's side about ongoing negotiations, and there is
no way to know what is happening. The only side that seems to
have any gain from the steady flow of reports about the
"progress" and "lack of progress" in the secret negotiations
is the press.
An Israeli aircraft hit a car on Monday in which two Hamas
terrorists were traveling in the Sajaiyeh section of Gaza
City. The two were killed. Six passersby were also killed in
the attack according to unconfirmed Palestinian reports.
On Tuesday Israel launched a limited ground action in Gaza
City, killing a senior Hamas commander. Gunmen shot at the
car of the Ramallah mayor. Two Italian aid workers, employees
of the International Red Cross, were kidnapped in Gaza. A
senior Lebanese Christian politician, Pierre Gemayel, the
minister of industry and son of former President Amin
Gemayel, was murdered in a suburb of Beirut. He was a member
of the Christian Phalange party and a supporter of the anti-
Syrian parliamentary majority, which has been locked in a
power struggle in the Lebanese government with pro-Syrian
factions led by Hizbullah in recent weeks.
