Report: Rice asked Olmert to halt strikes in Gaza
Washington Post reports US secretary of state urged Israeli prime minister to issue public statement saying Israel would halt strikes in Gaza if rocket attacks stop
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rive has helped Egypt mediate in talks between Israel and Hamas regarding a ceasefire, the Washington Post reported Sunday.
Quoting US, Israeli and Arab officials, the newspaper claims that Rice "privately asked Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to issue a public statement that Israel would halt attacks if Hamas stopped firing crude rockets at Israeli towns and cities."
At a press conference with the Czech prime minister last week, Olmert indeed vowed that "if terror stops, if Qassams stop landing in Sderot and Grad rockets in Ashkelon, and if the arms smuggling and incessant infiltrations cease – Israel would hold its fire."
According to the Post, a day later Egyptian officials presented the statement to Hamas, and rocket barrages consequently stopped.
However, despite the dramatic decrease in IDF operations in the Strip and in Qassam attacks on Israel, both Olmert and defense Minister Ehud Barak continue to deny the existence of a truce between Israel and Hamas.
