Egyptians push for resumption of Gaza peace talks

Egypt has issued an invitation to Israel and Hamas to resume talks on the framework of the cease-fire initiative put forth by Cairo on Thursday, according to the official Egyptian news agency.

The meetings will be held indirectly - as in previous rounds - with officials representing each side meeting with the Egyptian intelligence head Omar Suleiman. The chief of the political-security bureau at the Defense Ministry, Amos Gilad, is most likely to represent Israel in the talks.

The Egyptian announcement called on the two sides to work toward entrenching the cease-fire and take steps for the implementation of the Egyptian proposal.

The Egyptian proposal comprises three parts and is essentially the same one that was raised during a meeting between the Presidents of Egypt and France in Sharm el-Sheikh on January 6.

The first part of the proposal, which demands that Israel and the Palestinian groups agree to an immediate cease-fire for a fixed period of time, allowing humanitarian assistance to flow to the civilians in the Strip, essentially went into effect when Israel declared a unilateral cease-fire, which pressured Hamas into adopting a cease-fire of its own. Cairo wants to to use the lull to push for a more comprehensive deal.

The second part calls on Israel and the Palestinians - omitting specific mention to Hamas since Israel is unwilling to negotiate directly with the terror group - to meet with Egyptian negotiators in order to reach agreement on arrangements and guarantees that would prevent a future escalation.

The talks will also deal with issues like border security, the reopening of border crossings and the lifting of the siege on the Gaza Strip. Egypt is inviting both Israel and the Palestinians to participate in these talks, as well as the European Union and the rest of the Quartet - the U.S., Russia and the United Nations.

The third part of the Egyptian proposal is a renewed call to the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian factions to agree to Cairo's mediation efforts toward national reconciliation.

In Israel, the Egyptian proposal is seen as a favorable opportunity on a number of fronts, but stress that it has many points that are still unclear.

For example, Israeli sources point out that the text of the Egyptian cease-fire proposal does not make mention of Israel's demands, such as the link between the withdrawal of IDF forces and the release of captured soldier Gilad Shalit. Nor is Israel's demand for the creation of a 'security buffer zone' inside the Gaza Strip, along the border with Israel, included.

However, among the elements that Israel considers positive in the Egyptian proposal is Cairo's willingness to take part in the discussions on the issue of smuggling. Officials in Israel believe that Cairo has understood that continued smuggling undermines Egypt's national security more than originally thought.

Egypt is not particularly concerned with the military strength of Hamas being directed against it, but on the impact that fighting between Israel and the radical Islamic organization has on public opinion in the country, and by extension on aggravating dissatisfaction with the Mubarak regime.

Israeli sources stress that the Egyptian proposal is meant first and foremost to serve Egyptian interests.

Official Egyptian sources who made the text of the proposal available to Haaretz said that Cairo will not be able to accept the presence of foreign troops on its territory whose role would be to supervise counter-smuggling efforts.

"We will be glad if they came and offered us technical assistance that will be described as advising. There is nothing wrong with getting advice and receiving assistance. But we will not tolerate a permanent foreign presence on our territory," an Egyptian source said.

The issue of Egyptian sovereignty is one that President Hosni Mubarak has reiterated in recent days, mostly for the benefit of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who has called on Cairo to agree to the bolstering of an Egyptian border patrol force with European forces.

The second article in the initiative suggests that the resumption of border crossing operations will be done in line with the 2005 agreements, which Israel and the Palestinian Authority reached after the unilateral evacuation of settlements from the Gaza Strip. The crossings were operated by Palestinian Authority officials, under the supervision of European Union observers.

"We are committed to the implementation of the international agreements between the neighboring governments, even if we are not party to these," Egyptian sources told Haaretz.

Hamas has insisted on a role in the Rafah crossing into Sinai, which would grant it de facto recognition of their sovereignty over the Gaza Strip. This is one of the toughest points of disagreement and its resolution remains unclear.