Egypt hands over Hamas' ceasefire draft to Israel, commitment should be mutual, says Khaled Al-Batsh

Egypt hands over Hamas' ceasefire draft to Israel
Date: 02 / 05 / 2008 Time: 12:13

(Ma'anImages)
Bethlehem – Ma'an -

Egypt has handed over to the Israeli occupation government a formal written draft proposal for a complete ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the Palestinian factions, Israeli sources reported on Friday.

The draft agreement does not contain many details about the truce but requires that it starts in the Gaza Strip and is later applied in the West Bank, according to the Israeli daily newspaper Ma'ariv.

This draft includes the lifting of the blockade on the Gaza Strip and the provision of fuel supplies to the sector. However, it does not include any mention of the release of captured Israeli soldier Gil'ad Shalit.

But, according to the newspaper, the Egyptian side has pledged to continue efforts to find a solution in the case of Shalit.

Official Israeli sources have so far refused to comment on the proposals.
But Egyptian sources consider that a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip is the key to resolving many issues.

Haniyah: Israeli-Gaza truce in "safe hands" of Egypt

Date: 02 / 05 / 2008 Time: 17:48
Gaza – Ma'an -

Ismail Haniyah, the prime minister of the de facto government in the Gaza Strip said on Friday that the Palestinian factions and the government's position with regard to the truce between Israel and the Gaza Strip is now "in the safe hands of Egypt."

"The Egyptians have concluded the negotiation stage with the factions and now there is a Palestinian agreement on the truce," Haniyah said after Friday prayers at a mosque in the Gaza Strip.

Haniyah stressed that Egypt's initiative will not accept the continuation of the Israeli siege on the coastal sector and the closure of the Rafah border crossing. "We will not accept any Israeli conditions and we accepted the truce because we care about our people and the success of Egypt's efforts," he added.

Haniya: The Palestinian faction's position on "Tahdea" is with Egypt

[ 02/05/2008 - 06:30 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

The Palestinian elected Prime Minister, Ismail Haneyya, said that the views of the Palestinian resistance factions on the "Tahdea" with the occupation have been lodged with Egyptians and that if the occupation rejects it, the resistance factions will not surrender.

"The Egyptian brothers have completed the stage of crystallizing the Palestinian factions' positions. There is Palestinian consensus on the Tahdea, our positions as factions were lodged with the Egyptians and if Israelis reject them, we will not surrender," Haneyya said after the Friday prayers.

Haneyya also said that Egypt which took the initiative of the Tahdea will not accept the continued siege and closure of the Rafah border crossing and expressed his belief that Egypt will have a stand and the resistance factions will have a stand if Israel rejects the Tahdea.

He also stressed Palestine has not been erased from the memory of Palestinians everywhere sixty years after the Nakba (Catastrophe) as Israel thought would happen and that Palestine is present in the minds and hearts of millions of Arabs, Muslims and free people all over the world.

Islamic Jihad: we'll be committed to the truce as much as the occupation is committed

[ 02/05/2008 - 05:45 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

The Islamic Jihad considered the continuing Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip as evidence that the occupation is not after a truce, neither is it interested in making a success of Egyptian efforts to achieve a truce.

Khaled al-Batsh, an Islamic Jihad leader said that his movement will be committed to the truce to the same degree that the Israeli occupation is committed to it.

"If Israel commits to the Tahdea and respected the Egyptian effort and role [to bring it about], [then] that is a good thing, but if [Israel] breaches the Tahdea in the Gaza Strip or the occupied West Bank, we reserve the right to reply, and we will consider Israel responsible for the failure of the Tahdea," Batsh said.

He added that when the Islamic Jihad talk about truce, it is talking about both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip stressing that his movement will go along with the national consensus and will not be the first to breach the truce unless Israel did, adding that Israel must adhere to the truce because the Palestinian resistance factions defend their people and cannot accept any threats.

He also said that the truce means that the Palestinian resistance factions will be committed not to carry out any attacks and the Israeli side will stop its aggression against the Palestinian people, lift the siege and open the border crossings.

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