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 | | From: | AP | | Subject: | Palestinian Group Hints at Cease-Fire | | Date: | Sat, 22 Jan 2005 17:10:11 EST |
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*Associated Press/AP Online
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - A militant group linked to
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' ruling Fatah faction announced
Saturday it is ready to stop violence if Israel halts military
operations, and Israeli officials indicated that they are
considering the idea.
The armed groups want Israel to stop arrest raids and
targeted killings of wanted Palestinians in exchange for a truce. In
the past, Israel refused to promise the militants amnesty, despite
requests by Egyptian mediators who have said they could not seal a
truce deal without such Israeli guarantees.
However, two advisers to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said
Saturday that a halt in Palestinian attacks could prompt the Israeli
military to hold back.
"If there will be quiet on the Palestinian side, then
there will be quiet on our side, because all of our military
operations are only meant to stop terrorism," said Zalman
Shoval, a Sharon adviser. Brig. Gen. Giora Eiland, head of Israel's
National Security Council, told Israel Radio that quiet would be met
by quiet.
The latest statements indicate Abbas is making progress in
his attempt to persuade armed groups to halt attacks on Israel, a
first step toward ending more than four years of bloodshed. Egypt
has asked Palestinian officials and militant leaders to come to
Cairo in coming days to finish the deal, Palestinian officials said.
The meeting would take place after the Muslim holiday of Eid
al-Adha, which ends Sunday.
In the past five days, Abbas has met repeatedly with
representatives of the three key militant groups - Hamas, Islamic
Jihad and the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, which has ties to his Fatah
movement. Abbas also held talks with smaller factions that are
expected to fall in line if the larger three agree to a truce.
In a news conference on Saturday, a masked Al Aqsa
spokesman, flanked by four gunmen, said the group would accept a
cease-fire "if it is mutual and if Israel also commits to
it." The spokesman was identified only by his nom de guerre,
Abu Mohammed.
Abu Mohammed said Israel must also agree to release
Palestinian prisoners from its jails. "We think that all the
factions, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, believe that this
cease-fire must be mutual," he said.
More than 7,000 Palestinians are in prison for anti-Israeli
activity, including violence. Israel has released small groups of
prisoners in the past, but has balked at freeing those involved in
deadly attacks.
On Friday, some 3,000 Palestinian police deployed in the
northern Gaza Strip to prevent rocket and mortar fire on Israeli
communities. No rockets have been fired since Wednesday. On
Saturday, there were only four shooting incidents in Gaza, the
quietest day there since the outbreak of fighting in September 2000,
a senior Israeli security official said on condition of anonymity.
Eiland, the National Security Council chief, said he was
encouraged by the deployment of the Palestinian forces. Compared to
lackluster performance in the past, "now it seems they
(Palestinian security forces) are taking positive action,"
Eiland told Israel Radio. However, he said, the situation is
fragile, and in the long run, Abbas will have to dismantle the armed
groups and raid weapons workshops.
Abbas has said he wants to avoid force, and is instead
trying to reach agreement with the militants.
The Bush administration said Friday it is taking advantage
of a lull in violence to send the State Department's ranking Mideast
official, William Burns, to the region to assess chances of
peacemaking.
In the West Bank, troops shot and killed a Palestinian who
appeared to be vandalizing or attempting to break through a portion
of Israel's security barrier. The army said the soldiers called on
the man to stop as he fled from the area of the barrier. The troops
fired in the air and beside him before shooting him, the army said.
Palestinian officials said the man's identity was not immediately
known.
Meanwhile, Palestinian security forces were investigating
the managers of the Karni crossing on suspicion they were negligent
in their duties, making it possible for two militants to enter the
area and carry out an attack that killed six Israelis earlier this
month, a senior Palestinian official said on condition of anonymity.
The official denied media reports any of the workers had been
dismissed as a result of the investigation, which he said is
ongoing.
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