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Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman.(Archives) Last update - 14:12 01/05/2008 Jihad: We won't sign cease-fire, but won't be first to violate it By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent Tags: Egypt, cease-fire, Israel  Islamic Jihad said on Thursday it would not formally sign onto an Egyptian-brokered truce with Israel but would not be the first to violate it. Egypt is expecting Israel to accept and implement the cease-fire proposal agreed on by the Palestinian factions, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit's bureau chief said Wednesday. But a number of factions were equivocal in their support for a ceasefire, and some said they reserved the right to retaliate against Israeli attacks. Advertisement In a new statement, Zeyad al-Nakhala, deputy to exiled Islamic Jihad chief Ramadan Shallah, said the group could not be a party to a truce agreement that did not also apply at the onset to the occupied West Bank. "But we will not be the first to violate or undermine it, and we will give a chance for the reopening of (the Gaza Strip's border) crossings and alleviating the suffering of our people," Nakhala said. Meanwhile, Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman is expected to arrive in Israel shortly to receive Israel's official response to the Egyptian cease-fire proposal, Palestinian sources in Cairo said. Speaking by phone to Haaretz from Cairo, Egyptian Foreign Ministry bureau chief Hossam Zaki, who is also the Egyptian ministry's spokesman, said: "The Israelis are giving themselves plenty of time to think and evaluate ... Israel can contribute by accepting the Egyptian effort and the tahadiya [calm]." Zaki was in Israel at the beginning of the week and met with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, ahead of her expected meeting tomorrow with Aboul Gheit in London during the conference of donor countries to the Palestinian Authority. Zaki said he brought up the subject of the tahadiya with Livni. "What is important is to know that tahadiya is a good thing for civilians. Civilians should be spared this type of military confrontation. Their interests should be taken into consideration, especially after the awful and painful event of the family in Gaza, civilians should be spared this type of military confrontation," the Egyptian envoy said. The Egyptian effort to reach an agreement with the Palestinian factions bore fruit on Tuesday. After separate talks between the Egyptians and the representatives of each faction, the factions announced they were ready to accept the Egyptian formulation for a cease-fire. Israel, however, objects to the formulation for a number of reasons. Israel is concerned that Hamas will use the calm to increase its military strength. In addressing this concern, Zaki said "Egypt does not control the Gaza Strip but is only a neighbor. Egypt is in contact with those responsible for the Strip." Zaki also said it was Egypt's responsibility to act sincerely in order to prevent any violation of an agreement or understanding to which Egypt is a party. Another Israeli concern is that a cease-fire will strengthen Hamas and weaken the PA. Zaki rejected this argument, saying "Egypt is very concerned about Abu Mazen [PA President Mahmoud Abbas] and it will not take any steps that will lead to the weakening of Abu Mazen. Egypt understands the Palestinian structure very well. Israel does not guard the PA more than Egypt." In the framework of the agreement as it appears to have been formulated, the Rafah crossing will be opened on a regular basis for the passage of people and merchandise. Zaki said Egypt was working to implement the crossings agreement from 2005, which ensured they would operate in the presence of PA representatives and under European supervision. The Egyptian proposal also calls for the calm to be implemented first in Gaza for a test period, as Zaki put it, and after a few months the possibility would be weighed of expanding it to the West Bank as well. Zaki said the meeting between Livni and Aboul Gheit would put an end to the period of tension between the two ministers, which began after Livni sharply criticized Egyptian efforts to combat weapons smuggling through tunnels into Gaza, which she called "a threat." "There was a period of tension and exchange of accusations, but it is important that the channel between the two ministers and ministries will remain open with constant connections. We don't want to close this channel, this is important," he said. Zaki added that he believed the Israelis were just as interested in keeping the channels of communication open as were the Egyptians, and that the picture was now clear to everyone and the difficulties had been overcome. Suleiman to arrive in Israel to discuss truce deal During his upcoming visit, Palestinian sources in Cairo said, Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman is to report to Israel on the agreement reached with the Palestinian factions Wednesday, who are offering Israel calm in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the opening of the crossing points into the Strip, including the Rafa border crossing with Egypt. The official Egyptian news agency MENA reported that all 12 Palestinian factions whose representatives were in Cairo had accepted the Egyptian proposal. Egypt was not able to get the factions to themselves declare a united position on the agreement, as it had hoped. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak also spoke Wednesday about the agreement with Defense Minister Ehud Barak. Israeli sources said they were awaiting official confirmation of the agreement. "Meanwhile, they are playing chess with themselves," a security source said. Israel has reiterated that it will meet "quiet with quiet" in the Gaza Strip. Rocket fire on the western and northern Negev from the Strip continued on Wednesday, and a few hours after the announcement of the Cairo agreement, Israel bombed what the Israel Defense Forces said was a lathe workshop for producing Qassam rockets in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. One man, an senior Islamic Jihad military activist, was killed, and five others were injured. Suleiman held the discussions leading to the agreement with each faction separately, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Fatah had earlier announced that it accepted the Egyptian proposal. The new agreement is based on the crossings agreement from 2005 between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The 2005 agreement also called for Palestinians to be able to travel from Gaza to the West Bank, a clause that Israel rejects. Islamic Jihad's deputy general secretary, Ziad Nakhla, who headed his movement's delegation to Cairo, said Wednesday that he cannot accept separation between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. However, he also said Islamic Jihad would not cause the agreement to fail. In an interview on Al Jazeera, he said calm was directly connected to Israel's lifting the siege on the Palestinian people and opening the crossings. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said Wednesday that if Israel caused the agreement to fail, it would bear the consequences. Palestinian sources: Truce not likely to include Shalit Palestinian sources told Haaretz yesterday that the Cairo agreement did not broach the release of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. "In Hamas there is separation between the two subjects. Discussions on Shalit are proceeding separately," a source said. Speaking at Wednesday's security cabinet meeting, defense officials recommended that a deal for the Shalit's release be part of the agreement for calm in the Gaza Strip. Shalit's father Noam told Haaretz Wednesday that he expected his son's release to be at the top of Israel's priorities when it responded officially to the agreement, and to be included in it. Shalit said he had received no official update on the Cairo talks. Defense officials at the security cabinet meeting also said Israel's position regarding the agreement should uncompromisingly demand an end to rocket fire on the northern and western Negev, along with terror attacks and weapons smuggling. The fact that Defense Minister Ehud Barak was in the Golan Heights Wednesday, and was represented at the meeting by deputy defense minister Matan Vilnai, meant that no decisions could be made. Vilnai told ministers there was no humanitarian crisis in Gaza and fuel was being delivered regularly. The ministers said repeatedly that the outlines of the Cairo agreement did not address concerns over the arming of the factions and weapons smuggling. Public Security Minister Avi Dichter demanded that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert give a full accounting on the matter. Other ministers said during and after the meeting that they had not been fully briefed on the Cairo talks. Related articles: Islamic Jihad: Cease-fire agreement conditioned on lifting of Gaza siege Palestinians: Militant killed, 3 others hurt in IAF strike on Gaza During surprise talks in Amman, Abdullah tells PM peace deal must be reached by year's end Bookmark to del.icio.us   Hamas on the Holocaust Al-Aqsa TV claims Jews concocted the Holocaust. Grasping genocide How a non-Jew in Israel came to understand the Holocaust.   1.   Yes to truce with the Gaza NO TO TALKS WITH HAMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 03:50  |  MOE 01/05/08   2.   HERE IS THE PERFECT SOLUTION TO THE Israeli-Palestinian WAR 03:51  |  MOE 01/05/08   3.   no shalit NO TRUCE 04:06  |  real vision 01/05/08   4.   WHO BELIEVES OLMERT IS RETARTED?? 04:09  |  NEIL GOLAN 01/05/08   5.   Release Shalit or Face Death 05:23  |  WYSIWYG 01/05/08   6.   Three "NO`S"! 05:24  |  Akiva P 01/05/08   7.   After all the efforts Israel made to bring Hamas to task 05:55  |  Akram Zekaria 01/05/08   8.   TRUCE!! TRUCE!! truce? Hmmm...... what is this ah? 06:03  |  The Archives 01/05/08   9.   Get Shalit out and alive. Truce is second priority. 06:09  |  Fortuna Benmayor 01/05/08   10.   If Shalit is not included then Olmert will never be forgiven! 07:49  |  redmike 01/05/08   11.   Ceasefire with Hamas 07:55  |  Danny 01/05/08   12.   Egypt cannot be trusted. 07:58  |  Jean Van Daem 01/05/08   13.   If No Deal With Shalit,Then Send In IDF 08:07  |  DIsh It Out 01/05/08   14.   Egypt expects Israel to implement Gaza truce 09:38  |  "A" CA 01/05/08   15.   bring shalit home to g-d sake 09:43  |  "A" CA 01/05/08   16.   OLMERT IS RETARTED?? 10:01  |  "A" 01/05/08   17.   hudna, maybe us too 10:05  |  eliezer 01/05/08   18.   go ahead, publish my baby, I write politics tomorrow. 10:10  |  ... 01/05/08   19.   HAPPY MAY 1, YOU COMMUNIST HAARETZ 10:34  |  ... 01/05/08   20.   Moe if you govern them stop them firing missiles 11:15  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 01/05/08   21.   Absolute victory. 12:09  |  Jean Van Daem 01/05/08   22.   12 groups agree? 14:34  |  Major R 01/05/08   23.   Olmert more and more behaves like a Nazi Islamist 14:59  |  Citizen Zero 01/05/08   24.   Islamic Jihad speaks with confidence 16:11  |  * BEN JABO 01/05/08   25.   They want a ceasefire that they are not even 16:11  |  ChanahS 01/05/08   26.   Hamas` pre-conditions 16:12  |  * BEN JABO 01/05/08   27.   No sign, not first to break it 16:49  |  William 01/05/08   28.   NO! 16:53  |  utagawa 01/05/08   29.   A well protected Olmert hopes dearly... 17:40  |  Confused Citizen 01/05/08   30.   Hamas undestood, there is a price for Rockets 19:25  |  Just Cause 01/05/08   31.   islamic jihad will not be the first to violate the ceasefire 19:32  |  scallywag 01/05/08   32.   #25- ChanaS on Oylem Goylem 20:02  |  peter 01/05/08   33.   There is a 2-State solution in existence already = Egypt & Jordan 20:13  |  Eduardo USA 01/05/08   34.   NO TRUCE, NO LAND FOR PEACE! 20:41  |  Eduardo USA 01/05/08   35.   #i moe 21:25  |  fred 01/05/08   36.   To MO Ramallah, Israel ? Here is the problem & Solution 21:40  |  Jack 01/05/08   37.   We want Shalit first..NO exchange of your Pal criminals 21:50  |  Alan SA 01/05/08   38.   Ji-had an opportunity for a tahadiya and fired the contract 00:55  |  Zev 02/05/08   39.   Hamas will do exactly as Hezbollah has done! 14:29  |  Murray the Mongoose 02/05/08

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