A small light at the Horizon? Palestinian hardliners announced susp. of attacks

[Klaus]

from BBC News

Palestinian hardliners declare truce

The two main hardline Palestinian Islamic organisations, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, have jointly announced an immediate suspension of attacks against Israel.

The announcement comes as US President George W Bush's key adviser Condoleezza Rice is in Israel to push for more progress on the internationally-backed peace plan known as the roadmap.

A spokesman for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon responded immediately by saying the truce announcement would be ignored by Israel.

Other Palestinian factions had been expected to participate in the truce, but political infighting appears to have delayed an announcement by the mainstream Fatah faction....

Let's hope that Condoleezza Rice pushes Sharon hard enough into the right direction

Klaus

 

[FizzingWhizzbees]

It's interesting that Israel has been asking for a ceasefire by Palestinian groups for some time, and now that they've agreed to one, Israel has decided it's not what they wanted after all.

 

[Klaus]

Fizzi: Yes there are hardliners on both sides who don't have much interest in peace.


Buuuuut: Step 2:

from NYTimes

Israeli Forces Withdrawing From Part of Gaza
By JAMES BENNET with GREG MYRE

EIT HANUN, Gaza Strip, June 29 ? Under a moonless sky, Israeli troops broke down their checkpoints and drove their tanks out of this Palestinian hamlet late tonight, returning part of Gaza to Palestinian control after the three leading Palestinian factions declared that they were suspending violence.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the militant Palestinian groups, announced a three-month halt to attacks. After a day of internal bickering, Al Fatah, Yasir Arafat's mainstream faction, followed tonight with its own six-month cease-fire.

The factions set several conditions for Israel, including a halt to its killings of accused terrorists and a release of Palestinian prisoners.

Though as skeptical as the Palestinians, Israelis hoped today that they might be entering a period of calm, or even nearing the end of what some Israeli commentators called, perhaps prematurely, "the thousand-day war," a reference to the 33-month conflict. Officially, however, Israel dismissed the cease-fire as a dodge to safeguard terrorists.

Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian prime minister, had pursued the truce as a way to re-establish Palestinian security control without having to combat Hamas immediately, fearing that he lacked political support for that confrontation. He hopes that his support will grow as the Israelis relinquish what by previous agreement are Palestinian-controlled areas of the West Bank and Gaza Strip....

The complete article is 2 pages long, worthwile reading, but maybe too long for this forum

Klaus

 

[nexus6]

That might finally sound like good news

 

[Ramu]

some people don't live by their word. but the overall situation is improving.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...p/20030630/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians

Several Palestinian militant groups announced a suspension of attacks against Israelis on Sunday. But the first full day of truce was marred by the killing of a Romanian truck driver on an Israeli construction crew. The Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, a militia affiliated with Yasser Arafat (news - web sites)'s Fatah (news - web sites) movement, claimed responsibility. Fatah had earlier said that Al Aqsa would halt attacks.

 

[ouizy]

Please understand that although this can be seen as good news (the fact that two of the numerous Palestinian terrorist organizations has decided to stop killing innocent people) Israel need not recognize these groups in the first place, thus there is no reason for them to respond to this.

Yes, it would probably help somewhat if Sharon would come out and say, "Thank you terrorists and criminals for deciding to stop killing my people," but then he would be seen as weak by both these animals and the Israelis...

Also notice please that in the past 24 hours the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades killed an Israeli construction worker as he was dismantling a roadblock in the West Bank as part of the Israeli pullback.

The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades has not agreed to the "happy fun day terrorist cease-fire," thus I ask you once again,



who is in control of the Palestinian people when they are free to kill people working to give them the freedom they want?

 

[Atticus Finch]

I think this is very encouraging news. The madness needs to stop.
I have read Quizy's writings and understand his skeptisim. Wouldnt it be great after thousands of years the collective mindset of both of these parties and peoples suddenly became..."'Yes we can live side by side".

Now that would be a victory.

Atticus.

 

[ouizy]

That indeed would be great, and that indeed is what everyone is after...