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Last update - 09:25 16/12/2008
Agreement in Hamas: Cease-fire to end Friday
By Avi Issacharoff and Amos Harel
Tags: Gaza Strip, Israel News 

After expressing contradictory positions on Sunday, Hamas' leadership on Monday adopted a united stance: The cease-fire with Israel, which expires this Friday, will not be extended.

On Sunday, the Damascus-based head of Hamas' political bureau, Khaled Meshal, had said precisely that, but Gaza-based leaders of the movement insisted that no decision had yet been reached.

Monday, however, Hamas' spokesman in the Gaza Strip, Ayman Taha, said the movement had concluded that there was no point in extending the truce "as long as Israel isn't abiding by its terms" - though he added that talks on continuing the cease-fire were still taking place.
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Specifically, Taha said, Israel was supposed to have expanded the truce to the West Bank - something Hamas demanded but Israel in fact never promised - and opened the Gaza border crossings, and "this hasn't happened."

Asked whether this means Hamas will launch a massive barrage at Israeli targets on Friday, Taha replied that the organization would only respond to Israeli aggression.

Meanwhile, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Monday that Israel is not "running into Gaza," but is also not afraid of a military operation there.

"If the lull is violated and the situation requires it," he told Austrian President Heinz Fischer, in Jerusalem, "we will act in the proper manner."

Israeli defense sources said they believe Hamas is still internally divided over whether to extend the truce, but in any case, the army will heighten its alert along the Gaza border lest Hamas opt for escalation.

Amos Gilad, who heads the Defense Ministry's political-security department, told Israel Radio Monday that if Hamas violates the cease-fire, "we need to take suitable military action." Nevertheless, he added, he opposes a large-scale ground operation in Gaza, because "we've already tried military solutions in the past, and this has not always brought immediate results."

Moreover, said Gilad, such an operation would make Israel responsible for 1.5 million Palestinian residents of Gaza, inflame the Muslim world and endanger the peace with Jordan and Egypt.

Meanwhile, Israel freed 227 Palestinian prisoners Monday, as a gesture to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Most were released to the West Bank, but 18 went to Gaza.

Abbas, who welcomed the prisoners at his Ramallah office, said, "our joy won't be complete until we bring back all 11,000 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel." He promised that he would do "everything" to achieve this.

He also expressed hope that Hamas would not immediately jail the prisoners released to Gaza because they belong to the rival Fatah movement.

Also Monday, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said that he and U.S. President-elect Barack Obama had vowed during telephone talks to make progress on Mideast peace a key international goal next year, the Associated Press reported.

Brown was speaking at a London conference on investment in the Palestinian economy.

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      1.   Cease-fire to end? 02:52  |  MichaelF 16/12/08
      2.   Richard Falk must speak out against Hamas planned genocide 03:07  |  Ken Jurist 16/12/08
      3.   agreement-that`s rich! 03:39  |  Mark 16/12/08
      4.   The Real Reason For Hamas` Earlier Indecision 03:40  |  Jeff Northridge 16/12/08
      5.   IS THIS ACCEPTABLE TO PEACE 03:49  |  MOE 16/12/08
      6.   Well this will make a lot of folks happy 04:09  |  Mark Lincoln 16/12/08
      7.   Wow! they can say it with a straight face! 04:26  |  Rory 16/12/08
      8.   BS 04:48  |  Emanuel 16/12/08
      9.   Hamas`s choice! Will not stop the instant outrage 04:53  |  PETER SM 16/12/08
      10.   an official end to this charade! 04:54  |  Arie 16/12/08
      11.   bring it on 05:15  |  vik 16/12/08
      12.   MARK LINCOLN Hamas is happy.Now they can cry underdog 05:43  |  PETER SM 16/12/08
      13.   Abbas only the one who gets advantage from this war 06:17  |  Right Away 16/12/08
      14.   #1 No, it`s not at all acceptable, particularly on refugees 07:31  |  McQueen 16/12/08
      15.   MOE 08:02  |  vik 16/12/08
      16.   The Cease-fire that never was 08:14  |  DT 16/12/08
      17.   #2, Mark Lincoln 08:25  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 16/12/08
      18.   only on friday? 09:10  |  scallywag 16/12/08
      19.   Crush Hamas at once as they prefers the deaths of Israelis ... 09:15  |  Jean Van Daem 16/12/08
      20.   Let`s see how it works 09:32  |  Hastaroth 16/12/08
      21.   Never Get In A Fight With... 09:32  |  Yosemite 16/12/08
      22.   Israel should end its ceasefire, the one she has kept for years 09:52  |  Harvey 16/12/08
      23.   What utter hogwash 09:56  |  sabra 16/12/08
      24.   Shooting themselves in the foot 09:57  |  Yonatan 16/12/08
      25.   #23, Sabra, you are right 10:34  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 16/12/08
      26.   Yes, "Don`t recognize Israel" It`s coming... 10:46  |  Dutch 16/12/08
      27.   Hamas and Truce 11:51  |  khairi janbek 16/12/08
      28.   Dutch # 26 You`re A Day Late And A Dollar Short 13:32  |  Jeff Northridge 16/12/08
      29.   What`s the Big Difference? Truce or No Truce...... 14:35  |  Natasha 16/12/08
      30.   # 23 Sabra .... after the rain come sunshine 14:40  |  allang 16/12/08
      31.   Hamas Interest in Cease-Fire 15:09  |  Marissa 16/12/08
      32.   Cut the crap Cipora and Peter SM 15:09  |  Mark Lincoln 16/12/08
      33.   She went for it! 15:11  |  Mark Lincoln 16/12/08
      34.   HAMAS have made up their minds at last...... 15:13  |  The Threadmiill 16/12/08
      35.   This should be interesting......... 15:32  |  Diagnostic 16/12/08
      36.   Mark Lincoln # 32 The Matter Was Decided By Hamas And Not Israel 16:38  |  Jeff Northridge 16/12/08
      37.   To: Mark Lincoln 16:40  |  Angel 16/12/08
      38.   Moe`s Peace Plan 17:57  |  Sean 16/12/08
      39.   Moe`s "Peace" Plan 18:23  |  Angel 16/12/08
      40.   You mean there was actually a cease fire? 18:41  |  Big Sur 16/12/08
      41.   #5 Big demands huh? 18:46  |  Big SUr 16/12/08
      42.   mark lincoln "psycho right" 19:48  |  amos 16/12/08
      43.   mark lincoln witness the viewing habits of the usa 19:52  |  dan laner 16/12/08
      44.   To: Dutch 20:18  |  Angel 16/12/08
      45.   Yonatan - perhaps 20:48  |  Mark Lincoln 16/12/08
      46.   the problem with barak 21:41  |  harzion 16/12/08
      47.   Mark Lincoln re: Cipora & Peter SM 22:50  |  TonyL 16/12/08
      48.   It`s a good thing no shoes were thrown at an Israel leader 23:07  |  kass sam 16/12/08
      49.   When Did Cease Fire Actually Start? 23:56  |  Baruch Gold 16/12/08
      50.   Duck and cover 23:56  |  Mark Lincoln 16/12/08
      51.   to VIK -talkback 11 00:11  |  sarah 17/12/08
      52.   To VIK -talkback 15 00:16  |  sarah 17/12/08
      53.   To MOE, talkback-5 00:30  |  sarah 17/12/08
      54.   #40 00:37  |  jo 17/12/08
      55.   Cease Fire Was a Golden Opportunity 00:46  |  Shimon Cleopas 17/12/08
      56.   CEASE FIRE HAS NEVER BEEN IN HAMAS VOCABULARY AND IT NEVER WILL; 03:19  |  glenna 17/12/08
      57.   38 Sean - Moe`s Plan, Expensive but Possible 03:50  |  Mark of Lewiston 17/12/08
      58.   36 Jeff Northridge - Mischaracterizing 03:56  |  Mark of Lewiston 17/12/08
      59.   . LINCOLN Wrong!.I prefer PEACE and have said so many times 06:49  |  PETER SM 17/12/08
      60.   #33, MarkL, "she went for the bait" 07:25  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 17/12/08
      61.   oh... there was a cease fire was there?!?!? 11:02  |  Adrian de Klerk 17/12/08
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