Palestinians offer Israel a cease-fire

Palestinian groups agree on truce
Palestinian leaders met in Cairo to discuss the deal 
Al Jazeera May 1st, 2008

Several Palestinian factions have agreed, in principle, to a ceasefire with Israel.   A Palestinian official said that Hamas and 11 small groups agreed in Cairo on Wednesday to proposals that include a six-month truce, a prisoner exchange and reopening of the border between Gaza and Israel.

The truce, if implemented, will initially take effect in Gaza, with a view to being extended to the West Bank.  Egyptian security officials mediated the talks with the factions, including Islamic Jihad.  Israel will now be asked if it accepts the proposal.  But Israel has already rejected a similar plan from Hamas, describing it as a ploy for it to gain time to regroup.

...a date could be set if Egypt manages to secure the acceptance of the deal by a majority of the Palestinian groups and presents it to the Israel.


Amani Soliman, Al Jazeera's Middle East analyst, said: "There are three or four major groups that the talks have been going on with...Hamas had been talking with the Egyptian authorities separately and agreed to a truce last week.

The two deals will be taken to the Israeli authorities by the Egyptians in the next few days, Soliman said.
"It will now be up to the Israelis to agree to the deal," she said.

Soliman said that there was the possibility that Israel could observe this new truce as it is a short-term cessation of hostilities.   She said that because Israel is going to celebrate its 60th anniversary as a nation in the coming days, it would want peace during this time.

Full report in Al Jazeera