Islamic Jihad says it will not formally agree truce

MIDDLE EAST:ISLAMIC JIHAD announced yesterday it would not formally accept a ceasefire for Gaza which did not include the West Bank, but neither would it be the first to violate it.

The group's deputy leader, Zeyad al-Nakhal, said of the Egyptian-brokered truce: "We will not be the first to violate or undermine it and we will give a chance for the reopening [of the Gaza border] crossings, alleviating the suffering of our people."

Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman is expected in Israel shortly, where he is set to propose a six-month ceasefire if Israel halts military operations in Gaza, lifts the siege and blockade and pledges to extend the ceasefire to the West Bank at an unspecified time in the future.

Hamas also won a pledge that the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt would open to passenger and goods traffic under Palestinian Authority control and EU supervision.

The dozen factions that have responded positively to the Egyptian proposal include Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Resis- tance Committees, the Popular Front and Popular Front-General Command, a Syrian-sponsored faction.

Some have adopted a more equivocal approach, saying they would respond to Israeli attacks. But Hamas is likely to exert strong pressure on them to abide by the accord.

Commenting on Israeli coolness to the package, Egyptian spokesman Hossam Zaki said: "The Israelis are giving themselves plenty of time to think and evaluate. What is important is to know that tahadiya [a period of calm] is a good thing for civilians [who] would be spared . . . military confrontation."

Since 2000, 3,000 Palestinians and 14 Israelis have died in exchanges between Gaza militants and Israel.

Egyptian foreign minister Ahmad Abol Gheit is expected to meet his Israeli counterpart, Tzipi Livni, in London today during a conference of countries funding the Palestinian Authority.

Egypt is staking a great deal on Israeli acceptance. However, Israeli interior minister Meir Sheetrit said: "No deal whatsoever should be reached with Hamas. We must break Hamas, not hold negotiations with them because their demands are unacceptable."

The Egyptian daily al-Ahram reported that all Palestinian factions insist that Egypt and the Arab League should immediately follow up the talks with negotiations to reconcile Hamas, which rules Gaza, and Fatah, which controls the West Bank.

Meanwhile, an Israeli missile killed Nafez Mansour, a Hamas commander Israel claims was involved in the 2006 capture of its soldier Gilad Shalit. In an Amman hospital Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas underwent angioplasty and is expected to return to Ramallah today.