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Deliberating. Hamas' head Khaled Mashaal
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Lull possible within days, says Hamas

Hamas sources confirm Arab media reports of impending ceasefire with Israel, brokered by Egypt; Jerusalem denies knowledge of any breakthrough in talks

Egypt has been able to strike an agreement with Hamas for a ceasefire with Israel, the Egyptian al-Ahram weekly reported Tuesday.

 

According to the report, Egyptian Intelligence chief Omar Suleiman is expected to visit Israel in the very near future to present Jerusalem with the agreement.

 

Meanwhile, Kuwait's al-Rai al-Aam newspaper quoted high-ranking Egyptian sources as saying the ceasefire agreement was still in the works, adding that Egypt now awaits the final decision of Hamas leaders, which are conferring on the matter in Damascus.

 

Should Hamas give Egypt the clear answers it awaits, Suleiman will venture to Israel to secure the necessary guarantees to implement the agreement.

 

The said interim principles "aim to ensure a ceasefire of all Hamas actions in exchange for Israel lifting the Gaza siege. The matter of prisoners exchange is expected to be postponed to a later date; but Israel still has a few more preconditions such as ceasing all smugglings and weapon developments by Hamas during the lull."

 

Al-Rai al-Aam further quoted the Egyptian sources as saying that Hamas "has distinguished the West Bank from the Gaza Strip as far as the lull is concerned, so if any clashes erupt between IDF forces and Hamas operatives in the West Bank, it will not affect the Strip – thus ensuring the area will not be put under a blockade."

 

Hamas is now waiting to see if the Islamic Jihad will sign the agreement as well, said the report.

 

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak ordered his forces to block any attempt by Hamas to breach the Egypt-Gaza border, reported al-Ahram.

 

Egypt is expected to pursue several avenues to that effect, including reaching an agreement with the group, holding talks with Israel to bring the Gaza blockade and the ongoing humanitarian crisis to their end and working with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to annul the effects Hamas' takeover of Gaza had on both the Strip and the PA.

 

Conflicting reports

Hamas confirmed Tuesday that some leeway was made in the talks. A source in the organization told Ynet that the group has essentially agreed to the lull's onset in Gaza without preconditioning it to include the West Bank, saying Hamas wants the ceasefire to begin in Gaza and include the West Bank in a later date.

 

Hamas, said the source, demanded guarantees that any interval will include a substantial ease of the Gaza blockade, including the reopening of the Rafah crossing and all other goods crossings.

 

The group is willing to refrain from any direct involvement in the matter of controlling the Rafah crossing, but wants Egypt to be the one deciding when and if the crossing is closed.

 

Overall, added the source, the talks are held in a positive atmosphere: "Unless there is an escalation on Israel's part, and if it shows willingness to reach an agreement, a ceasefire is feasible within days."

 

Nevertheless, Hamas will retain the option to resume its actions in Gaza if Israel fails to accept all of the lull's conditions: "We haven't been firing rockets for several weeks now, but we can still hurt the Israelis in operations similar to the ones in Kerem Shalom. There is plenty of motivation and Israel must decide if it wants things to calm down or escalate," said the source.

 

A source involved in the negotiations told Ynet that both sides have expressed a desire to declare a ceasefire in the next few days.

 

Senior diplomatic sources in Jerusalem, however, denied knowledge of any ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, brokered by Egypt.

 

"Hamas was and is a terror organization and is responsible for the latest attacks on the Gaza crossings. We have no knowledge of any negotiations or interval," said Jerusalem.

 

Ali waked and Roni Sofer contributed to this report

 


פרסום ראשון: 04.22.08, 09:46
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