Here are the texts of the statements released yesterday by Hamas and the Islamic Jihad groups in Gaza City and by Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement in the West Bank, declaring the beginning of a truce to halt attacks against Israelis.
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Fatah declared a six-month truce, while the Islamic groups' cease-fire is three months. Also, the Fatah statement notes the goal of a Palestinian state in all of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Jerusalem, while the Islamic groups demand an end to Zionist occupation of Palestinian land, which can be interpreted as including Israel. The Islamic groups do not accept a Jewish state in the Middle East.
Text of the Fatah statement (distributed in Arabic and English):
"Out of the desire of the Palestinian political factions on the higher national interests of the Palestinian people in this critical period of our national struggle and stressing the high importance of the national Palestinian unity in our ability to struggle, steadfast to our achieve our fair goals and not to give any chance to harm it on the basis of sticking to the national rights of our people, adopted by the national Palestinian councils of the PLO and the Arab summits, U.N., non-allied and African summits and friends and honorable people in the world, and the full commitment for the continuous struggle to achieve it on top of it the right of our people to return and self-determination and establishing the independent Palestinian state with (Jerusalem) as a capital on all lands occupied in the year 1967 and in response (to) all the Arab efforts and the Quartet (America, Russian Federation, European Union, United Nations), we declare for all the countries and lovers of peace and freedom in the world our following initiative:
"Cessation of all military operations in accordance with the Egyptian initiative.
"At the same time we call upon all the states and peoples and governments worldwide and especially those interested in achieving peace, security and stability in the area to (urge) the Israeli side to implement the following:
"First, the immediate stop of all acts of Israeli violence against our people, including stopping assassinations, arrests, deportation, massacres against our communities, cities, villages, refugee camps, and to stop the incursions and destruction of the buildings, the economic infrastructure, the official and public institutions, (destruction) of agricultural lands, and lands confiscation, and to stop the Judaizing measures.
"Second, to lift the closure from the Palestinian people and its legitimate elected leadership.
"Third, to release all the prisoners and detainees from the Israeli prisons.
"Fourth, not to harm the Islamic and Christian holy places, especially the Haram al-Sharif (the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem), the Church of the Nativity and the al-Ibrahimi Mosque (Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron).
"Fifth, immediate stop of confiscating of lands and building settlements and expansion in the existing settlements as an introduction to removing (them) and to remove the separation walls.
"Sixth, begin the immediate withdrawal of the occupation forces to where (they were) before September 28, 2000 and to quickly implement the road map band to quickly send the international monitors to supervise its implementation according to the international legitimate resolutions and to establish a just and lasting and comprehensive peace in the area."
Text of Hamas and Islamic Jihad statement (distributed in Arabic and English):
To maintain our national unity that was achieved through the intifada and resistance and was deepened by the blood of martyrs;
To contribute to the endorsement of Palestinian national dialogue that calls for not giving up and preserving our people's rights; to protect our domestic front against division and confrontation;
To prevent the enemy from creating pretexts to ignite division; to affirm our people's legitimate right to resist the occupation as a strategic choice until the Zionist occupation of our land ends and until all our national rights are regained;
To respond to the efforts of many of those keen to preserve Palestinian national unity in the Arab and Palestinian arena, we - the undersigned Palestinian resistance factions - announce the following initiative:
Military operations suspended
First: Suspending military operations against the Zionist enemy for three months. This suspension goes into effect as of today [29 June] in line with the following conditions:
1. The immediate halt of all forms of Zionist aggression against our Palestinian people to include incursions, destruction, closures, siege on the cities, villages and camps; as well as the siege imposed on President Yasser Arafat; the demolition of houses; the bulldozing of agricultural land; encroachment on lands, property, and the Islamic and Christian holy places, particularly the Holy Al-Aqsa Mosque.
In case the enemy does not meet these conditions and obligations, or violates any of them, then we will no longer be committed to this initiative This should also include the immediate halt of all assassinations of individuals; massacres; all forms of detention; and deportation of the sons of our people, their leadership, cadres, and mujahidin.
2. The release of all Palestinian and Arab prisoners and detainees from the occupation prisons without any condition or restriction, and returning them to their homes, beginning with those who have served long terms in prison, those who were sentenced to long imprisonment terms, women, children, the sick and the elderly.
Second: In case the enemy does not meet these conditions and obligations, or violates any of them, then we will no longer be committed to this initiative, and we will hold the enemy responsible for the consequences.
"Should they intend to deceive thee, verily God Sufficeth thee: He is that hath strengthened thee with his aid with (the company of) the believers"; [Koranic verse]
God is Great, and victory is the lot of our people and nation.
[Signed] The Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas; The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine
[Dated] Sunday, 29 Rabi Thani 1424 Hegira, corresponding to 29 Jun 200
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