Klaus
Refugee
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