Palestinian militants offer Israel limited truce

[oberliner]

GAZA (Reuters) - Palestinian militant groups offered to stop firing rockets into Israel in exchange for a cessation of all attacks on the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, an official said on Thursday.

Islamic Jihad leader Khader Habib said the main Palestinian factions including the governing Hamas group, the rival Fatah of President Mahmoud Abbas and other smaller groups reached the understanding while meeting Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh.

"For the good of the national Palestinian interest ... there is a position supporting calm (a cease-fire) by stopping rocket fire in return for an end to the aggression against our people in Gaza and the West Bank," Habib told Reuters.

Habib said a deal would only take effect after Israel agrees and actually ends military actions. The offer was limited only to rocket firing and did not include other forms of attacks by militants such as cross-border attacks and suicide bombings.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-11-23T212105Z_01_L23458912_RTRUKOC_0_US-MIDEAST.xml&WTmodLoc=NewsHome-C3-worldNews-2

[IntiRaymi]

1. So Hamas can enforce a cease fire?

Is Hamas doing this to undercut Abu Mazen?

[oberliner]

2. Here is another article that speaks to those questions:

Israel sending Hamas cease-fire signals

Recognizing that Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is incapable of halting the Kassam rocket fire from Gaza, Israel reportedly is conveying messages indirectly to Hamas to try and secure a cease-fire.

While insisting that Israel was not maintaining a continuous, indirect dialogue with Hamas, a government official on Thursday night acknowledged that messages were "getting through."

The government appeared to be seeking a "de facto" hudna arrangement that would include the release of kidnapped soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit in an exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a halt to targeted killings of terrorists in Gaza and an end to the Kassam attacks out of Gaza, former National Security Council chief Giora Eiland said Thursday.


http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1162378470663&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[breakaleg]

3. The wording of that implies that Israel is talking to Hamas, but not so much,

they are sending signals, but not really talking. It's absurd. Both sides need and want peace and I see all of this dancing around it to be childish. Neither side can afford not to try to work out a deal.

[Violet_Crumble]

4. It'd be nice if it happened...

While I've got no doubts there's a lot of ever so coy indirect talking going on between Israel and Hamas and always has been, I doubt a cease-fire will happen for a whole lot of reasons...

[eyl]

5. Let me get this straight

They stop rockets in exchange for Israel stopping all attacks.

So if there's a spate of suicide bombings, Israel's attacking the organization involved would mean Israel's breaking the truce? Am I the only one who sees a problem here?

[IntiRaymi]

6. Yep, it definitely sounds like a joke.

But, think of it this way - Israel has always reserved for itself the prerogative to act in a preemptive manner, so I don't think the OTHER side considers any conversations with Israel as being worthwhile.
In other words, no seriousness will be found anywhere.

[Igel]

7. It's the usual kind of truce offer.

Stop all Israeli attacks for a cessation of a certain kind of attack.

Stop all Israeli attacks for a cessation of attacks by one group.

Eh.