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Last update - 20:18 07/02/2009
Hamas leader Zahar: Final word on Israel truce proposal soon
By The Associated Press
Tags: Gaza, Israel news, Egypt 

Top Hamas official Mahmud Zahar crossed into Egypt on Saturday for talks on consolidating a ceasefire with Israel in the battered coastal enclave, witnesses and a Hamas source said.

It was the first time Zahar had been seen in public since Israel's 22-day war against Gaza's Islamist rulers which ended with both sides calling separate ceasefires on January 18.

He is among a delegation of seven Hamas officials who crossed the Rafah border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip on their way to Cairo for talks with intelligence chief Omar Suleiman.
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The Hamas delegation crossed a day after Israeli warplanes struck four smuggling tunnels and a weapons depot in the area of the Gaza-Egypt border, the Israeli military said. The airstrikes came in response to two rockets fired from Gaza on southern Israel.

Zahar -- believed to be the overall Hamas leader in the Palestinian territories -- told the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera television station that he would meet with Egyptian negotiators and members of Hamas's Syrian-based politburo later in the day.

"The delegation will hear Israel's position, which senior Israeli defence official Amos Gilad relayed to Suleiman on Friday," Zahar said.

"There will be a follow up on the position Israel has arrived to, and based on that we will give the final Palestinian viewpoint," he told Al-Jazeera.

Suleiman has been mediating indirect talks between Israeli and Palestinians officials for a lasting truce since the war in Gaza, which killed at least 1,330 Palestinians and 13 Israelis.

The fragile calm has been tested by Palestinian rocket attacks into Israel and retaliatory Israeli air strikes.

A Hamas spokesman in Gaza said the Islamist movement expects to see an agreement with Israel on the reopening of the border crossings into the Gaza Strip "within the next few days."

"If the Egyptian efforts are successful at this time, we expect to reach an agreement within the next few days," Fawzi Barhum told AFP.

Barhum said the talks were over an agreement "to end the siege, stop the aggression and reopen the crossings."

"If we receive convincing answers from Israel, through Egypt, we expect to reach an agreement in the next days," he reiterated.

Zahar says flexible about who will take charge of Gaza reconstruction
Zahar told reporters Hamas would be flexible about who will take charge of reconstruction. Thousands of homes and buildings were destroyed or damaged during the war, causing an estimated $2 billion in damages.

Hamas initially insisted it should supervise the spending. However, international donors are reluctant to hand huge sums to the Islamic militants. "We are flexible on who should be in charge of rebuilding, said Zahar.

In the West Bank, Hamas' rival, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, said
Saturday he will transfer $50 million in emergency aid to Gazans whose homes
were destroyed or damaged in the offensive.

The UN is putting together a detailed report on the war damage. The report is to be presented to donor countries in Egypt on March 2. The conference is expected to raise hundreds of millions of dollars for rebuilding Gaza. Fayyad said the emergency payments will be taken from the current Palestinian budget.

Israel unilaterally halted its three-week military offensive on Jan. 18, and Hamas militants also halted fire a day later, but the two sides have not agreed on the terms of a cease-fire. Sporadic violence has continued since.

Israel, which controls all crossings except Rafah, which is managed by Egypt, has kept the densely-populated strip closed to all but essential supplies since June 2007 when Hamas seized power, ousting forces loyal to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

"There was some question about guaranteeing the truce and how the Rafah crossing will reopen and today we expect to have an answer from our Egyptian brothers," Barhum said.

Egypt closed Rafah on Thursday, after opening it to aid and Palestinian wounded during the war. Egypt has refused to permanently open the crossing in the absence of EU monitors and Abbas's representatives.

Hamas officials have said they are seeking clarifications on an Israeli offer to allow between 70 and 80 percent of goods through its crossings into Gaza, barring those it says could be used to make weapons.

The fact that Zahar himself was attending the talks showed how important the truce was to Hamas, Barhum said.

"It is very important for Hamas to see these Egyptian efforts succeed," he added.

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      1.   the scared coward finally shows his face 15:28  |  matt 07/02/09
      2.   He got still hands not chopped off by the law he himself puts on 15:29  |  Jew- and Bookburner 07/02/09
      3.   Any courageous IDF commander traveling in broad daylight? 17:23  |  Historian 07/02/09
      4.   #3 no sennse of history(an) 19:13  |  odles 07/02/09
      5.   A defiance 19:51  |  Ridha 07/02/09
      6.   Strong Man? 19:59  |  Dale 07/02/09
      7.   He is a true leader and we as palestinians want thim to be safe 20:06  |  mohammad fateh 07/02/09
      8.   matt- 20:31  |  U R Anidiot 07/02/09
      9.   # 3 Historian 20:45  |  Marc 07/02/09
      10.   Fawzi Barhum & Mahmoud Zahar 21:10  |  Jeff Northridge 07/02/09
      11.   To Mark 21:44  |  Gili 07/02/09
      12.   Dr. Zahar singing a polite tune 21:51  |  allang 07/02/09
      13.   mattt 1 22:07  |  curious 07/02/09
      14.   to # 8 U R Anidot 22:14  |  dan 07/02/09
      15.   to # 7 /AZzahhar got permision from Israel 22:18  |  Andrei 07/02/09
      16.   Another "truce"=Disaster 22:56  |  marat 07/02/09
      17.   Zahar 23:32  |  Jeff-DimentiaPraecox 07/02/09
      18.   To U R Anidiot 23:32  |  Liat 07/02/09
      19.   Feel the difference ? Ridha5 23:34  |  Sceptic 07/02/09
      20.   # 1 Jeff 23:34  |  The Teacher/Instruct 07/02/09
      21.   Policy of targets and assassination 23:46  |  Manny Goldstein 07/02/09
      22.   Dr. Zahar singing a polite tune 00:17  |  allang 08/02/09
      23.   #6 Dale. The joke is on your country. 01:10  |  Maureen Ann 08/02/09
      24.   thanks i was worried about Dr. Zahar 02:31  |  muslim 08/02/09
      25.   Dr. Zahar singing a polite tune 02:56  |  allang 08/02/09
      26.   Ruthless but honest .... 03:00  |  Dutch 08/02/09
      27.   mAUREEN Shame on You Johnboy Etc.A catastrophe in Victoria 04:14  |  PETER SM 08/02/09
      28.   1,2,3 exceptional stupidity 04:22  |  John Spear 08/02/09
      29.   To Mohammed Fateh: Preparing For the Coming War 04:36  |  Douglas Fireman 08/02/09
      30.   for dutch 12:31  |  cohen 08/02/09
      31.   # 20 to the teacher/instruct re: cute little jokes 09:56  |  eric 09/02/09
      32.   #31 Eric - You are the joke 17:22  |  *BEN JABO 09/02/09
      33.   23- Maureen Ann - The joke is on you 17:24  |  Malach HaMavet 09/02/09
      34.   # 10 to jeff re: "ugly" (2nd try) 23:41  |  eric 09/02/09
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