Israel, Hamas agree to truce after months of fighting, Egypt says

[Praxius]

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/06/17/israel-hamas.html

Israel and the radical Palestinian group Hamas have agreed to observe a ceasefire from Thursday morning local time, Egypt's state-owned news agency said Tuesday.

A Hamas official in Gaza, speaking to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, confirmed the truce.

Israeli officials declined to confirm a deal, but said they were "cautiously optimistic" and Israel's negotiator in the truce talks was rushing to Cairo.

Egypt's MENA agency cited an unnamed high-level Egyptian official as saying both sides "have agreed on the first phase" of an Egyptian package to end ongoing violence in the Gaza Strip.

The first phase is a "mutual and simultaneous calm" that will start early Thursday, MENA said.

The agreement is designed to end months of daily Palestinian rocket and mortar assaults on Israeli border towns and Israeli retaliation.
'A new reality' possible: Israel

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev would not confirm or deny a deal.

"What is important is not only words, but deeds. If there is a total absence of terror attacks from Gaza into Israel and if there is an end to arms buildup in Gaza Strip … that will indeed be a new reality."

Gaza militants have been bombarding southern Israel with rockets and mortars for seven years. The rate of fire increased after Israel pulled its troops and settlers out of Gaza in 2005, and stepped up further last year after Hamas wrested power from forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Israel has responded with air and ground attacks that have killed hundreds of Palestinians, many civilians. It has also imposed a strict blockade on Gaza, letting in only limited amounts of humanitarian aid, restricting fuel supplies and widening already rampant unemployment.

Ending the economic sanctions by opening Gaza's crossings with Israel and Egypt has been a major Hamas demand in the ceasefire talks.

Previous accords – most recently, a November 2006 deal – have broken down fairly quickly.

Israel is suspicious of Hamas's motives, especially since the militant group rejects the Jewish state's right to exist and has declared it would take advantage of any lull to rearm.

But with the Israeli government under heavy domestic pressure to halt the rocket fire, the choices were a truce or a full invasion of Gaza. Last week, Israeli leaders decided to put off a large-scale military campaign to give truce efforts more time to succeed.

Previous large-scale offensives have failed to halt the militant attacks.

 

[Colpy]

Well, we'll see.

Usually Hamas considers a truce to be a continuation of war, except Israel is not permitted to retaliate.........and Hamas stops claiming responsibility for bomb, mortar, and rocket attacks.

We'll see.

If it is a REAL truce, good stuff.

 

[lone wolf]

Well, we'll see.

Usually Hamas considers a truce to be a continuation of war, except Israel is not permitted to retaliate.........and Hamas stops claiming responsibility for bomb, mortar, and rocket attacks.

We'll see.

If it is a REAL truce, good stuff.

Israel plays that game well. Seems to me I recall Israeli air raids into Syria months after the 1974 cease-fire was declared. Maybe if all concerned would realize his own shyte stinks just as bad as the other guy's?

 

[Zzarchov]

The problem is you don't have a cease fire when one side is winning the war. You have a cease fire if both sides want to end the war (and need time to negotiate) or the war is stagnating.

Right now Hamas is facing a revolt as its own "people" are getting ready to tear them to pieces in a seething mass (not that they would then stop hating Israel as well).

They need the economy to come back and trickle in to stop an internal revolt of people.

Regardless of the morality of the fighting, Hamas is managing the actual fighting poorly and its own supporters are realising it. Hamas as an organization may not be in any danger, but the current leadership in Gaza sure as hell is.