Palestinian factions a step closer to truce
Talks in Cairo between Palestinian factions have concluded with an agreement to end suicide bombings in Israel.
But factions – which include the militant Muslim groups Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – are at loggerheads over a proposal to temporarily halt attacks against Israeli soldiers and Jewish settlers on occupied land.
“The drafting committee should finalise a common document later tonight and submit it to the factions for approval on Sunday. But the differences between Fatah and Hamas over the ceasefire issue remain,” a senior Palestinian official said.
Israel has rejected the “halfway measure” as a “non-starter” to rekindle the stalled US-backed ‘roadmap’ for peace in the Middle East.
Israeli says the deal will fail to inspire Israeli-Palestinian peace talks or prepare the groundwork for a summit between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia.
In Gaza yesterday, three Palestinian teenagers suspected of trying to carry out attacks were shot dead by Israeli troops.
Ashraf Abdelsalam Al Hayya, 19 and Abdelkarim Sukkar, 18, were both members of Hamas.
A third teenager, Jihad Mussa Al Akhras, was shot dead by Israeli soldiers in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestinian security sources said.
The head of Egyptian Intelligence, General Omar Suleiman, demanded a truce be approved by Sunday.
