Report: Hamas agrees to ceasefire in Gaza

[Scurrilous]

Palestinian sources say group's representatives in Cairo willing to accept Egypt's proposal for ceasefire in Gaza. Hamas to hold press conference Wednesday evening and present understandings reached in talks

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3656257,00.html

<snip>

"Hamas has agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza based on Egypt's proposal, Arab sources told Ynet Wednesday. The conditions for the truce have not been published at this time.

Hamas is scheduled to hold a press conference at 7:30 pm in which it will present the understandings reached during the Cairo talks.

Earlier in the day Egyptian news agency MENA reported that the Islamic group has responded favorably to Egypt's efforts to promote a ceasefire in Gaza, .

"Hamas responded positively to Egypt's attempts to bring an end to the shedding of Palestinian blood, during the talks that were held in Cairo in the last three days," an Egyptian official told MENA.

Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit, whose nation has been instrumental in ceasefire talks, said he had received Hamas' latest proposal and would convey it to the Israelis. Without revealing details, he indicated an agreement was near and a Hamas spokesman said the militant group had "no other choice."

[tekisui]

1. Good. Let's hope Israel will agree as well.

[bdamomma]

4. I hope so too, enough of this killing.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

5. Agree AND comply AND not bait a break in the cease-fire. (nt)

[BrklynLiberal]

2. hope it comes to pass....

[azurnoir]

3. Hopefully Israel will agree n/t

[bunnies]

6. I'll believe it when Hamas says it.

Until then its nothing but speculation.

[Scurrilous]

7. We'll know soon (maybe):

Hamas to hold news conference in Cairo

"A senior Hamas leader from Gaza will hold a news conference in Cairo at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT) on Wednesday, sources close to the group said.

The leader, Ayman Taha, is a member of the Hamas delegation which wrapped up talks with Egypt earlier on Wednesday on the Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza."

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LE548401.htm

[Scurrilous]

8. Outlines of a Gaza ceasefire deal appearing: France

<snip>

"International diplomatic pressure has begun to produce the "outlines of a ceasefire" between Israel and Hamas forces in the Gaza Strip, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said on Wednesday.

"The outlines of a ceasefire have begun to appear, even if we still have to face serious obstacles," the minister told lawmakers during a briefing to parliament on the Middle East crisis.

Earlier, an Egyptian official had told the news agency MENA that the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas had "reacted favourably" to Cairo's efforts to broker a truce in the fighting, which has left around 1,000 people dead.

Spain's foreign minister, Miguel Angel Moratinos, also said Wednesday that the warring parties were close to an accord. He spoke during a visit to Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak, after which he was due to fly to Israel."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hPjjtdXhZlcnUCbhhU3luLQMRlKA

[Scurrilous]

9. Report: Hamas accepts Egyptian proposal for Gaza truce

<snip>

"Hamas is willing to accept an Egyptian initiative for a cease-fire agreement with Israel, after having added some amendments, the Saudi-owned Arabic language Al Arabiya TV reported Wednesday evening.

The report came as Israeli forces were nearing the end of the 19th day of an offensive targeting Hamas infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.

According to the report, Hamas has agreed to abide by the 2005 agreement which calls for Palestinian Authority forces to man the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt under the supervision of European observers.

Hamas conditioned the cease-fire agreement with Israel on the immediate withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces from the Gaza Strip, Al Arabiya reported. The senior Hamas officials that held talks with Egyptian officials in Cairo had announced that they would hold a press conference on the outcome of the negotiations at 8 P.M.

The Spanish newspaper El Pais, quoting Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, also said Hamas had accepted the Egyptian proposal to end the fighting between Israel and the Islamist group."

more

[Scurrilous]

10. Hamas presents reservations regarding truce

Following reports group accepted Egypt's ceasefire proposal, Hamas representative says in Cairo press conference that Israel must lift siege on Gaza, end aggression, pull out of Strip and open border crossings for truce to materialize

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3656359,00.html

<snip>

"Despite previous reports saying Hamas is willing to accept Egypt's proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, the group's representative Salah Bardawil said at a press conference in Cairo Wednesday that the group still had reservations regarding the initiative.

"We will try to achieve our objectives in any way possible, in order to end the aggression, lift the siege and open the crossings," he stated.

"The Egyptian proposal is the only plan that has been presented to us," said Bardawil. "We have presented our vision and hope it will materialize."

Bardawil said that what Hamas demanded from "the Zionist enemy" is to lift the siege on Gaza, halt the aggression, pull out all Israeli forces from the Strip and open the border crossings.

The official added that Hamas expressed its reservations to the Egyptians, who were expected to convey them to Israel.

It appears that the group's statement was deliberately ambiguous, in order to leave room for flexibility in the negotiations. However, it notably lacked the militant tone of Hamas' recent messages."

<snip>

"Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit, whose nation has been instrumental in ceasefire talks, said he had received Hamas' latest proposal and would convey it to the Israelis. Without revealing details, he indicated an agreement was near and a Hamas spokesman said the militant group had "no other choice."

[Vegasaurus]

12. Hamas is seriously deluded though

if they think a "ceasefire" means open borders and lifting the siege, while they still shoot hundreds of dangerous rockets.

[Scurrilous]

11. US skeptical Hamas will embrace Gaza ceasefire

<snip>

"The White House on Wednesday expressed skepticism in the face of reports that Hamas will accept an Egyptian ceasefire to end the war with Israel in the Gaza Strip.

"Let's wait and see what Hamas really does," spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters after a senior Egyptian diplomat told AFP the Islamist movement had accepted Cairo's plan to end the conflict.

"We have every right to be skeptical of things that you see in the newspapers reported about Hamas and so I think we need to wait and see what actually happens," said Perino.

Perino brushed aside questions about whether US President George W. Bush, who leaves office January 20, was pushing Israel to wrap up its offensive, but said Washington wanted "a durable ceasefire established as soon as possible."

"And we appreciate what the Egyptians have done to try to establish a dialogue so that we could get to that point," said the spokeswoman."

more

[EFerrari]

13. God, I hate that woman. She degrades any discourse she enters.

[Scurrilous]

14. One more week. n/t

[Vegasaurus]

15. Yes. Let's see what Hamas really does. nt

[Scurrilous]

16. Perino: Bush Isn’t Working Too Hard For Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Before He Leaves Office

<snip>

"Today during the White House press briefing, a reporter asked press secretary Dana Perino if President Bush is “okay with” the conflict between Hamas and Israel continuing as he leaves office and if “there any kind of sense within the White House that he’d like to wrap things up or at least achieve a resolution” before next Tuesday.

Perino said that when it comes to protecting and caring for Palestinian civilians, “there is no time limit on that.” But a second reporter noted that Bush had previously said he would “sprint to the finish” and wondered if he was “working the phones” to get a deal done. Perino brushed off any notion of Bush working on the issue, claiming that its more “appropriate” for Rice to be doing the talking:

Q: But when is the last time he had direct conversations with people brokering the Egyptian-French cease-fire –

PERINO: The President isn’t doing that; he has a Secretary of State who he has working on that and that’s who should be — that’s absolutely appropriate, is to have his Secretary of State working on that.

But Bush himself has previously worked the phones with international leaders and heads of state to help alleviate conflicts and crises. In fact, there are photographs of him doing it — in one he is talking with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown about the global financial crisis and in another, he’s on the phone with the Senegalese president discussing the situation in Darfur. In a July 2006, press conference, Bush described his personal touch in getting involved with North Korea:

BUSH: And so I was on the phone this morning with Hu Jintao and President Putin, and last night I talked to Prime Minister Koizumi and President Roh. And my message was that we want to solve this problem diplomatically, and the best way to solve the problem diplomatically is for all of us to be working in concert, and to send one message, and that is — to Kim Jong-il — that we expect you to adhere to international norms and we expect you to keep your word.

Moreover, Perino is wrong. Last January, Bush did set a time limit on the Israel-Palestine situation, saying “there will be a signed peace treaty by the time I leave office,” adding, “I am on a timetable — got 12 months.” So perhaps Bush has just checked out and is no longer interested in Middle East peace. After all, last week, he said he is “eager for a more carefree life in Dallas."

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/01/14/bush-ceasefire

[Scurrilous]

17. Report: Hamas ready to begin conditional Gaza truce on Saturday

<snip>

"Hamas is prepared to accept a conditional cease-fire with Israel in the Gaza-Strip starting on Saturday, the al-Sharq al-Awset daily reported on Friday.

According to the report, Hamas has set five conditions for the cease-fire:

1. The reciprocal truce would begin on Saturday and be followed by the immediate transfer of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

2. The Israel Defense Forces must pull all of its troops out of the coastal territory within the first week of the truce.

3. The flow of trade in and out of the Gaza Strip must be renewed and monitored by observers from Egypt, Europe, and Turkey.

4. The Rafah crossing must be reopened and supervised by Palestinian Authority security forces and international observers, until a Palestinian unity government has been established and can take its place.

5. The truce would be instated for one-year with an option for renewal."

more

[Vegasaurus]

18. Yes, and what will Hamas do?

does it plan to stop its terrorism and smuggling of weapons, or just use the truce to rearm with bigger weapons, like it did during the last phony truce.

[azurnoir]

19. While I do not see #2 happening any time soon

the other 4 items are reasonable enough an Hamas is asking for international observers, hopfully something will be worked out

[redqueen]

20. New headline @ that link-- Hamas: We will not accept Israel cease-fire demands

Hamas will not accept Israeli conditions for a cease-fire in Gaza and would continue armed resistance until the offensive ends, Khaled Meshal, the leader of the Palestinian Islamist group, said on Friday.

Speaking at the opening of an emergency meeting on Gaza in Doha, Meshal called on the leaders present to cut all ties with Israel.

However, Hamas is set to send a delegation to Cairo later on Friday to discuss Egyptian efforts to mediate a cease-fire in Gaza, a Hamas official told Al Jazeera television.

His comments contradicted a report published in the al-Sharq al-Awset daily on Friday, which claimed Hamas was prepared to accept a conditional cease-fire with Israel starting on Saturday.

(more, at link above)

[Scurrilous]

22. Yeah...

...the guy living in Syria says no deal.

Meanwhile the Hamas leaders living in Gaza (with the Israeli tanks idling outside their door) might say something different.

We'll see....

[Scurrilous]

21. U.S., Israel to sign deal to boost Gaza truce effort

<snip>

"The United States and Israel plan to sign an agreement on the final working day of the Bush administration intended to convince the Jewish state to agree to a cease-fire with Hamas militants in Gaza and end its military operations there.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni are to conclude the deal on Friday to assure Israel that additional steps will be taken to end weapons smuggling into Gaza and prevent Hamas from re-arming.

Diplomats say the text calls for enhanced intelligence cooperation and U.S. technical and logistical support for border monitors.

The diplomats say the hope is that the agreement will satisfy Israeli concerns about re-opening Gaza border crossings and will be an important piece of an Egyptian cease-fire initiative being negotiated in Cairo to end the fighting that has killed some 1,100 Palestinians since Israel launched the operation on Dec. 27. Thirteen Israelis have been killed, four by rocket fire, according to the Israel Defense Forces."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1056173.html