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Head of the Defense Ministry's Political Department, Amos Gilad, who is in charge of the talks with Cairo. (Archives)
Last update - 14:44 25/03/2008
Israeli defense sources: Hamas wants to maintain Gaza quiet
By Amos Harel and Yuval Azoulay
Tags: Israel, Gaza Strip, Hamas 

Hamas is interested at this stage in maintaining the lull in fighting against the Israel Defense Forces along the Gaza Strip border, defense officials suggested Monday.

Likewise, Egypt is keeping up heavy pressure on Hamas leaders in Gaza not to deviate from the understandings reached with it regarding the suspension of fighting.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Monday that if the rocket fire from the Strip and arms smuggling cease, "The door to another reality will open," but he added that "we are still far" from that reality.
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Barak added that Israel will not negotiate with Hamas, "except for indirect talks regarding kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit."

Under the agreement Cairo reached with Hamas three weeks ago, Hamas would stop launching rockets at Israel for a week-long trial period. Israel announced that quiet on the Palestinian side would result in corresponding quiet from Israel. So far, both sides are keeping their promise to Egypt, even though Islamic Jihad occasionally launches rockets into Israel.

On Sunday, Egypt released 33 Hamas operatives who were arrested in Sinai after the Rafah border fence was breached in late January. This is a significant gesture by Cairo, evidently intended to "bolster" the lull. IDF sources said Egypt seems to be making an especially intense effort to preserve the lull.

Four mortar shells fired from Gaza struck the western Negev causing no casualties or damage on Tuesday.

IDF sources confirmed that Hamas is also refraining at this time from supplying rockets to other Palestinian factions.

Security sources told Haaretz that the lull should not be viewed as an agreement between Israel and Hamas. They say Egypt was motivated to reach understandings with Hamas for interests of its own and out of fear the violence would spill over into its territory. Israel merely "hitched a ride on an arrangement already reached between Hamas and Cairo," the sources said.

However, senior military commanders indicated this week that the lull is expected to be temporary, because Egypt will have a hard time securing an overall agreement due to the massive distance between the sides.

The head of the Defense Ministry's Political Department, Amos Gilad, who is in charge of the talks with Cairo, has been instructed to take a tough negotiating line with Egypt. In an interview Monday on Army Radio, Gilad made an evident effort to deny any connection between the talks he is conducting and Egypt's talks with Hamas.

"There are no negotiations here whatsoever," Gilad said.

He described the purpose of his mission as "bringing about a cessation of rocket fire and a halt to the smuggling of material."

On Monday, there was an increase in the number of incidents along the Gaza Strip border. At least one rocket and several mortar shells were fired at the western Negev, and IDF troops were fired on near the perimeter fence. There were no casualties.

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      1.   Israel is still dreaming 03:51  |  Tosefta 25/03/08
      2.   quiet hamass means the trigger is being oiled 04:26  |  jewish doctor 25/03/08
      3.   No door will open 04:52  |  Steve 25/03/08
      4.   Hamas`s True Agenda in Her Own Words 05:25  |  Proud Israeli 25/03/08
      5.   i still think it behooves israel... 05:52  |  eric 25/03/08
      6.   Thank you, Proud !sraeli, for the vid! 07:40  |  CK Tan 25/03/08
      7.   hamas terrorists say TELLING LIES is part of THEIR STRATEGY 07:42  |  CK Tan 25/03/08
      8.   KILL TO SURVIVE 08:18  |  BOB KING THE ZIONIST 25/03/08
      9.   4Proud israeli,my comments on the memri video;memri is a zionist 08:22  |  lakshmi 25/03/08
      10.   Diplomacy, then violence 08:29  |  Jean Van Daem 25/03/08
      11.   Armed Struggle until Destruction of Israel 08:33  |  Jean Van Daem 25/03/08
      12.   The only quiet is in the media 08:40  |  Zev 25/03/08
      13.   To Lakshmi - Hamas One State Solution 101 09:06  |  Proud Israeli 25/03/08
      14.   lakshmi CONTINUES to LIE 09:20  |  CK Tan 25/03/08
      15.   LEAVE THEM ALONE 09:20  |  indrajaya 25/03/08
      16.   Hezbollah 09:33  |  Aldous 25/03/08
      17.   The strategies of the past will not do for the present 09:49  |  Natallie Durson 25/03/08
      18.   To Haaretz. Continued from previous page. 09:49  |  Rozz 25/03/08
      19.   11 Inddrajaya,you forgot to add:End the Occupation! 09:51  |  lakshmi 25/03/08
      20.   Indrajaya you are dead wrong. 09:59  |  Proud Israeli 25/03/08
      21.   to indrajaya #12 09:59  |  dovale 25/03/08
      22.   11proud israeli,how is this stuff from you tube any different 10:05  |  lakshmi 25/03/08
      23.   More for Haaretz..... 10:05  |  Rozz 25/03/08
      24.   Lakshmi, don`t throw smoke screens 11:10  |  Proud Israeli 25/03/08
      25.   Lakshmi - don`t be stupid woman! 11:27  |  ChanahS 25/03/08
      26.   Lakshmi #14, 17 11:32  |  Elihu 25/03/08
      27.   Pragmatism prevails! 11:41  |  US CITIZEN 25/03/08
      28.   Hamas wants to maintain Gaza quiet. 12:11  |  Akram Zekaria 25/03/08
      29.   Hamas wants to maintain Gaza quiet. 12:11  |  Akram Zekaria 25/03/08
      30.   #5 eric and utter negativity wil bring problems 12:15  |  v hardman 25/03/08
      31.   4# Proud Israel. You are 100% right . 12:54  |  Akram Zekaria 25/03/08
      32.   LEAVE THEM ALONE -INDRAJAYA 13:36  |  Noble Persian 25/03/08
      33.   18 Elihu,these orgs. must occasionally make mistakes,that stands 13:46  |  lakshmi 25/03/08
      34.   Tosefta what motivates Hamas? Here`s the answer: 13:52  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 25/03/08
      35.   Lakshmi Memri trnaslates honestly 13:53  |  abu pravda 25/03/08
      36.   #12 13:56  |  Someone 25/03/08
      37.   Proud Israeli: 13:58  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 25/03/08
      38.   Idiotic behavior 14:01  |  Frank 25/03/08
      39.   Elihu אנא הארצ 14:02  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 25/03/08
      40.   14# lakshmi. The usual nonesense ! Is`t war or half war ? 14:16  |  Akram Zekaria 25/03/08
      41.   arabist apologists still dreaming 14:34  |  peter 25/03/08
      42.   What is again this Lull? 15:34  |  georges 25/03/08
      43.   rewarding subversion encourages subversion 15:45  |  Mike 25/03/08
      44.   # 23, NOBLE PERSIAN 16:08  |  indrajaya 25/03/08
      45.   Lakshmi #33 16:46  |  Elihu 25/03/08
      46.   Hamas wants quiet. 17:01  |  David Nigel Braham 25/03/08
      47.   You must fight to win. 17:18  |  Jean Van Daem 25/03/08
      48.   Margie hello 17:49  |  Danite 25/03/08
      49.   Keeping the promise to Egypt 17:50  |  KUTW 25/03/08
      50.   #1, tosefta and twisted logic! 17:52  |  DR 25/03/08
      51.   33 Hamas Operatives 18:11  |  warn 25/03/08
      52.   33 Hamas Operatives 18:16  |  Warn 25/03/08
      53.   # 47, JEAN VAN DAEM 18:24  |  indrajaya 25/03/08
      54.   Danite you`re welcome 18:39  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 25/03/08
      55.   Israeli inflexibility 18:53  |  Morris Valentine 25/03/08
      56.   Good evening, everybody: 19:03  |  17 25/03/08
      57.   Shame of the Shallow (Margie in TA #34) 19:33  |  Tosefta 25/03/08
      58.   lakshmi LIES re the cluster bombs BTselem etc 20:12  |  CK Tan 25/03/08
      59.   #57 tosefta - lakshmi says you BELIEVE a hamas LIE 20:13  |  CK Tan 25/03/08
      60.   Israeli innovation, "divide and rule out", doesn`t work(Morris V) 20:30  |  Tosefta 25/03/08
      61.   To Tosefta (#57): Tone, please 20:32  |  Morris Valentine 25/03/08
      62.   Toseftas short memory 20:34  |  Danite 25/03/08
      63.   Making distinctions (CK Tan #59) 20:42  |  Tosefta 25/03/08
      64.   Tosefta 20:51  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 25/03/08
      65.   Tosefta an addendum 21:12  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 25/03/08
      66.   61# Morris Valentine. There is no `Historic Evolution` 21:14  |  Akram Zekaria 25/03/08
      67.   Margie on "arabic" vs. "english" 22:02  |  Ibrahim 25/03/08
      68.   #48 Danite Re the So Called olive branch 22:02  |  Labhras 25/03/08
      69.   Ibrahim 22:21  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 25/03/08
      70.   More history lessons (Margie in TZ #64-5) 23:00  |  Tosefta 25/03/08
      71.   The tone (Morris Valentine #61) 23:13  |  Tosefta 25/03/08
      72.   Margie, would you like some obvious truths 23:16  |  Ibrahim 25/03/08
      73.   #60 The IRA, Hamas and divide et impera 23:26  |  PantherJet 25/03/08
      74.   69. margie. if one would accept that hamas 23:57  |  bozhidar bob balkas 25/03/08
      75.   #70..Ibrahim..re Margie 00:04  |  Nemesis 26/03/08
      76.   To Akram Zekaria (#66) 00:06  |  Morris Valentine 26/03/08
      77.   Maybe - Iran - is occupied somewhere else.. 00:20  |  Stephen. 26/03/08
      78.   arabist apologist and the need for tone 01:09  |  peter 26/03/08
      79.   Tosefta - on charters and platforms 01:11  |  Mark Lincoln 26/03/08
      80.   Red Herrings and Straw Men 01:21  |  Mark Lincoln 26/03/08
      81.   More history lessons (Margie in TZ #64-5) 02:14  |  Tosefta 26/03/08
      82.   To Mark Lincoln (#74): Better late than never! 02:29  |  Morris Valentine 26/03/08
      83.   In praise of Hamas (for evolution-challenged people in TZ) #74 03:02  |  Tosefta 26/03/08
      84.   More history lessons (Margie in TZ #64-5) 03:03  |  Tosefta 26/03/08
      85.   75# Mark Lincoln & the `Unballance budget`. 03:16  |  Akram Zekaria 26/03/08
      86.   On straw men and red olives (Mark Lincoln #75) 03:18  |  Tosefta 26/03/08
      87.   TO lakshmi & gang 03:23  |  Carlos 26/03/08
      88.   # 30 to victor hardman 03:31  |  eric 26/03/08
      89.   #4;Proud Israeli, excellent YouTube site, thanks it shows truth 04:09  |  Doc Holliday 26/03/08
      90.   Is`t fantasy that 3-million Iraqi left their country 06:11  |  Akram Zekaria 26/03/08
      91.   Israeli security forces must use the time wisely 06:24  |  Voice of Reason 26/03/08
      92.   arabist apologist choking on straw 06:43  |  peter 26/03/08
      93.   Ibrahim 07:02  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 26/03/08
      94.   Oh goodie! Hamas maintains quiet. 07:20  |  Nechama 26/03/08
      95.   Tosefta of the US is no Harry Potter 07:24  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 26/03/08
      96.   Tosefta of the US is no Harry Potter אנא הארתצ 08:02  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 26/03/08
      97.   #81 eric of the limp wrist and history will meet one day ? 08:23  |  v hardman 26/03/08
      98.   Tosefta of the US is no Harry Potter 09:47  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 26/03/08
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