Omar Suleiman
Photo: AP
Hamas discusses Israel truce, border opening, with Egypt
Egyptian officials say talks between Hamas, Islamic Jihad negotiators and intelligence chief Suleiman focused on reopening Rafah crossing initially for three days a week; possible ceasefire with Israel also discussed
EL-ARISH, Egypt - Hamas and Islamic Jihad negotiators met with Egyptian officials on Saturday for more talks aimed at hammering out a truce with Israel and reopening the Rafah border crossing from the Gaza Strip, an Egyptian official said.
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The 40-minute meeting was held on the Egyptian side of Rafah, a town divided by the border with Gaza, said the security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The official gave no details on what progress might have been made towards a ceasefire with Israel, but said the border talks focused on reopening the Rafah crossing initially for three days a week. That would be a first step towards daily opening.
Rafah has been closed almost continuously since the seizure of Gaza by Hamas, which Israel, the United States and European Union consider a terror group.
Israel has also tightened restrictions on Gaza, preventing all but vital humanitarian aid from entering from its own territory in an attempt to pressure the Hamas-run government to halt rocket attacks.
Hamas, the Islamic movement that has controlled Gaza since ousting forces loyal to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas last June, was represented by senior official Jamal Abu Hashem, the official said. Islamic Jihad sent Khaled al-Batsh.
'Void of substance'
They met with two top aides of Egypt's powerful intelligence chief, General Omar Suleiman.
In Gaza City, meanwhile, a Hamas spokesman hinted that the discussions would focus on trying to heal the internal Palestinian divide between Hamas and Abbas' Fatah party, which Yemen has also been working on.
"There have been meetings in the Palestinian territories to discuss recent ideas with our Egyptian brothers on difficult issues that concern the internal Palestinian situation," Ayman Taha told AFP.
The two factions have been bitterly divided since Hamas gunmen drove Abbas' security forces out of Gaza, effectively cleaving the Palestinian territories into rival camps.
On Thursday, the Yemeni initiative ended in failure, with both sides accusing the other of rejecting the proposal, which called for a return to the power-sharing agreement that existed before the takeover.
Abbas charged that Hamas rejected the Yemeni proposal and had expressed reservations that "voided it of substance". Hamas in turn charged that the Palestinian president "shuns any dialogue".
However, Yemeni authorities said new efforts were being made on Saturday to get talks underway between Hamas and the Fatah-led Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Kurbi said "representatives of Hamas have requested some time to consult" their leadership.
"We have reached agreement on a final draft for the agreement which will be, God willing, signed by the representatives of Hamas and Fatah," he said, adding that Fatah delegates had already agreed to the draft.
The agreement, which sets the framework for the unity talks, calls for a return to the political status quo that existed before Hamas seized Gaza.
Hamas has always said it is willing to negotiate with Abbas without preconditions, while Abbas has said the Islamists must return Gaza to his control before any talks can begin.
