Subscribe to Print Edition | Mon., March 17, 2008 Adar2 11, 5768 | | Israel Time: 17:42 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
  Back to Homepage
Rosner's Domain
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Advertising
Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File
Palestinians returning with sheep from Egypt to Gaza after crossing earlier through a breach in the border wall made by militants in January. (AP)
Last update - 20:44 12/03/2008
Defense Min.: Fighting in southern Israel, Gaza may soon resume
By Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondent and News Agencies
Tags: Hamas, Egypt, Mahmoud Abbas 

The fighting in southern Israel and the Gaza Strip could soon resume, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Wednesday after a short lull in rocket attacks from the Hamas controlled territory against Israel, as well as Israel Defense Forces raids in the area.

"We aren't sitting with a stopwatch in our hands, and it's not a 'wham bam thank you ma'am' thing. What awaits us here is more [military] operations and infantry troops who are stationed here," Barak said during a visit with the IDF Gaza division.

Responding to questions regarding the likelihood of a cease fire agreement with Hamas, who controls the Gaza Strip, Barak said "we're not in a place where we can achieve resolution, instead we are embroiled in ongoing activity which aims to bring about an end to the Qassam rocket fire and bring back a feeling of security to the residents of the area."
Advertisement
The defense minister added that continued fighting may spark an escalation of violence "beyond anything we have seen so far."

Earlier Wednesday, Hamas publicly set its terms for a cease fire with Israel, calling for an end to IDF raids in Palestinian territories and a reopening of Gaza border crossings.

Egypt has been trying to broker a truce that would also end Gaza rocket attacks against Israel by militants from Hamas and another Palestinian group, Islamic Jihad.

"There must be a commitment by Israel, to end all its aggression against our people, assassinations, killings and raids, and lift the [Gaza] siege and reopen the crossings," Hamas's Gaza leader Ismail Haniyeh said in a speech.

A cease-fire deal, he said, should be "reciprocal, comprehensive and simultaneous" and apply both to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Haniyeh said that Israeli agreement to a ceasefire would be due to "Hamas' victory in the Gaza Strip after the Israeli operation," referring to the Israel Defense forces ground offensive against rocket squads in northern Gaza some two weeks ago.

The Hamas leader used the word tahdiya to describe the informal cease-fire he sought. He avoided use of another word often used in Arabic, hudna, because it would imply recognition of Israel's right to retaliate for attacks, Hamas officials said. Both terms denote a temporary cease-fire rather than a permanent peace.

"We will not abandon you, our people in the West Bank," Haniyeh said. "Aggression against you is aggression against us."

There was no immediate Israeli comment on Haniyeh's remarks.

Hamas-Israel deal would put Abbas' men at Gaza crossings

A deal being formulated between Israel, Egypt and Hamas involves deploying Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' troops at the crossings with the Gaza Strip, Palestinian sources told Haaretz Tuesday.

According to the sources, Israel and Hamas have agreed to the Egyptian proposal to deploy Palestinian Authority Presidential Guard members along the Karni, Sufa and Kerem Shalom crossings, where cargo is transferred between Israel and Gaza, as well as at the Erez crossing, a passageway for people and goods.

Guard members will be deployed also at the Rafah crossing, which connects Sinai, Egypt with the Strip.

Hamas forces will be positioned nearby and will essentially control the movement of Palestinian civilians in and out of Gaza.

This agreement is in keeping with the 2005 crossings agreement, between the U.S., Israel and the PA, which called for placing the crossings under forces loyal to Abbas.

The Palestinian sources said that Hamas leaders are due to meet with Egyptian mediators within the next two days. The Egyptians will convey Israel's views on the Egyptian proposal, and Hamas is to state whether it agrees to a temporary cease-fire.

The current round of violence ended after Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders met with Egyptian officials last week.

The PA also has agreed to the Egyptian proposal. It is expected to present any agreement as a success, because this would mean Hamas has failed to break the siege on Gaza. It has controlled the coastal strip since overthrowing Fatah there last June.

Meanwhile, Damascus-based Hamas leader Mohammed Nasser released the group's conditions for a cease-fire with Israel Tuesday. Nasser says Hamas is demanding Israel completely cease "all acts of aggression" in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

By this demand, Hamas is toughening its stance regarding the cease-fire in the works, and is posing a demand that Israel steadfastly has refused to accept so far. Israel rejects any deal that would bar it from arresting suspected militants in the West Bank.

Ayman Taha, a Hamas spokesman in the Strip, confirmed in a telephone conversation with Haaretz on Tuesday that the radical Islamic group is demanding Israel stop making arrests in the West Bank in exchange for a cease-fire deal.

Nasser also added that Hamas is ready for a temporary cease-fire with Israel, on the condition that it occurs simultaneously and applies to both sides.

Abbas said Monday during a meeting with Jordanian journalists that "a senior figure in the Israeli government is undermining the negotiations for internal reasons and because of personal hostility to me." He was in Jordan to meet with King Abdullah.

A Jordanian journalist who published the story noted that Abbas was referring to Barak.

Abbas also said that any agreement on Palestinian refugees' right of return would be implemented over the course of at least a decade after the signing of a peace deal.

Related articles:
  • Abbas: Israel has agreed to cease-fire with Hamas
  • Haaretz.com TV: Abbas, Olmert contradict each other on Hamas-Israel cease fire
  • Egypt FM: Cairo can forge truce between Israel and Gaza militants
  • Abbas: I'm ready to negotiate a truce between Israel, Hamas
    • Bookmark to del.icio.us  
     
    The Chancellor's visit
    Angela Merkel arrives in Israel to 'open new chapter' in bilateral ties.
    London paying
    Netanyahu says PR trip to U.K. wasn't funded by Israeli taxpayer.
      1.   Why will Israel not allow Palestine to Exist? End Tyranny in WB. 03:10  |  POP 12/03/08
      2.   Why will Israel not allow Palestine to Exist? End Tyranny in WB. 03:11  |  POP 12/03/08
      3.   Your all Mad 03:59  |  Maddy 12/03/08
      4.   Terrorist Hamas has nerve to demand prerequisites 04:19  |  Free Gilad Shalit 12/03/08
      5.   the "dicktat" of terror 04:21  |  Shmuelshachor 12/03/08
      6.   Just great - The Fatah Fox is going to watch the chicken coop 05:00  |  * BEN JABO 12/03/08
      7.   Sounds Like Olmert Is surrendering To Hamas 05:02  |  Olmert has no balls 12/03/08
      8.   Gasa crossings 05:22  |  Mr. Smith 12/03/08
      9.   "Palestinian refugees` right of return"? 06:31  |  Citizen Zero 12/03/08
      10.   poor gazan people 07:42  |  dave 12/03/08
      11.   Remind me again, why is Olmert still in power? 07:46  |  Gili 12/03/08
      12.   Living together in war and peace 07:53  |  Paul the Hip Dude 12/03/08
      13.   The so-called Arab "right of return" to the land of Israel... 08:10  |  Ziv 12/03/08
      14.   Fatah`s "Al Aqsa Martyrs" will man the border. 08:20  |  Fortuna Benmayor 12/03/08
      15.   Abbas cannot be trusted. 08:23  |  Jean Van Daem 12/03/08
      16.   They have and never will have right of return 08:27  |  Levi 12/03/08
      17.   Surrender it all 08:43  |  Nathan 12/03/08
      18.   Yeshiva attack learned Israel: If you kill... 09:11  |  Dutch Dirk 12/03/08
      19.   Israel and Colombia have same problem 09:20  |  George Lechter 12/03/08
      20.   A PIECE OF CAKE FOR HAMAS 09:32  |  indrajaya 12/03/08
      21.   For Free Gilad Shalit # 1 09:39  |  Clickfool 12/03/08
      22.   Loose ends 09:53  |  Joseph 12/03/08
      23.   To Citizen Zero # 6 - Palestinians` Right if Return 10:16  |  Dagma 12/03/08
      24.   #8, Gili 10:22  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 12/03/08
      25.   The Responses so far 10:29  |  Absolutely Neutal 12/03/08
      26.   An Assassination on the way...... ? 10:33  |  Dolly 12/03/08
      27.   Right of Return if ever would be only to Palestinian State areas 10:34  |  Jo 12/03/08
      28.   For Cipora # 24 10:43  |  Clickfool 12/03/08
      29.   # 25, ABSOLUTELY NEUTRAL 10:56  |  Indrajaya 12/03/08
      30.   Absolutely Right 11:01  |  American lady 12/03/08
      31.   Right of Return 11:04  |  American Christian 12/03/08
      32.   To Levi # 16 = Right of Return..... 11:11  |  Natasha 12/03/08
      33.   quiet before the storm 11:39  |  Art 12/03/08
      34.   To Olmert has no Balls # 7 - In Olmert`s hands 11:52  |  Onlooker 12/03/08
      35.   we yes negotiate with Hamas 12:03  |  Ana 12/03/08
      36.   Smart move by Hamas 12:06  |  Johnboy 12/03/08
      37.   Moses was tough 12:09  |  American Christian 12/03/08
      38.   Put Arabs at crossings 12:11  |  Hilda 12/03/08
      39.   #11 Gili 12:12  |  MR 12/03/08
      40.   I hope Abbas` men made their wills 12:15  |  nina 12/03/08
      41.   Rethorical question for naive kids 12:42  |  MR 12/03/08
      42.   Israeli Occupation 12:43  |  Maher 12/03/08
      43.   What is the difference 13:12  |  Harvey (Chaim) 12/03/08
      44.   i agree with Anna 13:32  |  unknown 12/03/08
      45.   If Israel was smart 13:43  |  Natallie Durson 12/03/08
      46.   Everything must be contingent on a final deal 13:54  |  Matt 12/03/08
      47.   Hamas truce terms exactly as I predicted 13:55  |  Clickfool 12/03/08
      48.   #45 If Nazillie Dur d`oreille was smart... 13:57  |  Hastaroth 12/03/08
      49.   #25 : Absolutely Neutal, Sure you are, how about Mr Unbiased 13:58  |  Doc Holliday 12/03/08
      50.   Truce 14:00  |  Dan 12/03/08
      51.   Hanas has failed 14:06  |  a wandering Jew 12/03/08
      52.   This just could be the "joining" of forces re..... 14:17  |  Stephen. 12/03/08
      53.   Newsflash...Hamas is a terror group!!! 14:18  |  DR 12/03/08
      54.   I Knew It; Now The Demands Increase 14:19  |  Jeff Northridge 12/03/08
      55.   Pals want time to dig in, that being said.... 14:19  |  Doc Holliday 12/03/08
      56.   Absolutely Neutral...Muslim threat? 14:21  |  Lynn 12/03/08
      57.   Hamas desperate to appear as setting the terms 14:33  |  Fortuna Benmayor 12/03/08
      58.   Terrorist Hamas offering more suffering to its electorate 14:38  |  ClickSchmuck 12/03/08
      59.   Negotiations With Sworn enemy, A Waste of Time! 14:43  |  Alex 12/03/08
      60.   This is how peace starts. 14:46  |  Michael 12/03/08
      61.   re: Levi 14:48  |  Paulo 12/03/08
      62.   Reversing a failed Israeli policy 14:49  |  Tosefta 12/03/08
      63.   There can be NO PEACE!!! 14:50  |  DR 12/03/08
      64.   No peace until!!!!!!!!! 14:54  |  Shimshon 12/03/08
      65.   Hamas thinks every one is stupid ? 15:08  |  Akram Zekaria 12/03/08
      66.   Hamas has a nerve, does it want all the West to give it money too 15:10  |  Jo 12/03/08
      67.   In other words... 15:19  |  David Nigel Braham 12/03/08
      68.   Are you going to give them Weapons to Olmert? 15:22  |  Jordan 12/03/08
      69.