Hamas may sign truce if Israel agrees to concessions

HAMAS IS prepared to sign deals next week for an 18-month truce with Israel, the lifting of Israel’s blockade on Gaza and the exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli soldier Cpl Gilad Shalit, captured by Palestinian fighters in 2006.

The London-based pan-Arab daily al-Hayat reported yesterday that Hamas would formally announce the truce within the next three days and conclude by Wednesday a deal over Cpl Shalit.

If the report is correct, he will be released in exchange for 1,000 Palestinians jailed by Israel, including Hamas legislators, women and children.

While Hamas had previously refused to tie the truce to the freeing of the soldier, it appears that Israel’s conditions for the lifting of restrictions on the kind of goods allowed into Gaza may have forced it to concede. This linkage is, however, denied by the deputy head of its Damascus-based politburo, Moussa Abu Marzouk.

But Egyptian intelligence chief and deal-broker Omar Suleiman told the Cairo daily Al-Ahram that Israel was refusing to allow iron, aluminium and cement into Gaza until a deal over Cpl Shalit was achieved. Delay over the import of the essential materials would hold up reconstruction of infrastructure and housing which was devastated during Israel’s 23-day offensive that ended on January 18th.

He said that several issues remain to be resolved before the truce is finalised, including continuing rocket fire from Gaza into Israel, the width of a buffer zone, the halt of weapons smuggling into Gaza and guarantees.

Amos Gilad, Israel’s negotiator, is expected to return to Cairo as early as tonight. Both sides seek to reach agreement on these issues before the current caretaker government leaves office.

Once the truce is declared and the prisoner deal concluded, Israel would open its crossings into Gaza and Egypt would free up movement through the passenger terminal at Rafah which would be supervised by EU monitors and police deployed by the Palestinian Authority. A buffer zone from which fighters would be excluded would be established along the Gaza-Israel border.

On February 22nd, Cairo is set to commence reconciliation talks between Hamas and Fatah.

In spite of reports of progress, three rockets were fired into south- ern Israel, causing no injuries.