GAZA, 19 July 2005 — Leaders of Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad yesterday stated that the truce between Palestinian factions and Israel depended on the behavior of Israel.
Following a meeting with an Egyptian security delegation, Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar said his group accepted the “calm” with Israel on the condition that there is a complete halt to Israeli attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
His remarks came after a second meeting with the high-ranking Egyptian security delegation headed by Gen. Mustafa Al-Beheiri, deputy to Egypt’s intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, who was sent to the Gaza Strip to find an exit to the crisis, which has occurred only four weeks before the Israeli withdrawal.
“No attacks on Palestinians, and here I’m not talking about Gaza only, the West Bank is also included. There were attacks on the Palestinian people and we responded to it as a self-defense,” said Zahar.
Mohamed Al-Hindi, a senior Islamic Jihad leader, also said his movement was committed to the status of “calmness” reached in Cairo four months ago, but added that the Cairo declaration gave the right of any group or faction to respond to any Israeli attack on Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas denied that there was such a proviso in the Cairo declaration, but said that it was agreed to convene factions and Palestinian officials after any Israeli violation to agree on the response.
Al-Hindi said leaders of the factions as well as the Palestinian Authority (PA) would hold a last meeting in Gaza tomorrow to agree to an end to the crisis.
Armed confrontations erupted in the Gaza Strip on Thursday and Friday, where three Palestinians were killed after Palestinian security forces tried to prevent Hamas men from firing rockets at Israel.
Hamas intensified its attacks on Israel and Jewish settlements in Gaza, which was followed by a threat by Israel to carry out a large- scale operation into Gaza.
Israel intends to evacuate Jewish settlements and withdraw from all the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank on Aug. 17.
Meanwhile, the United States yesterday urged Israelis and Palestinians to restore calm after the upsurge in violence and as thousands protested against Israel’s upcoming pullout from the Gaza Strip.
“We also urge both parties to exercise restraint and to restore calm,” said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who will visit Israel and the Palestinian territories this week, this weekend called Dov Weisglass, a close aide to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, to ask for calm and restraint, McCormack said.
“Both parties need to make a maximum effort to make this withdrawal successful,” the spokesman said.
More than 20,000 opponents of Israel’s historic Gaza Strip pullout held a mass protest yesterday in what has been billed as a bid to break into settlements and impede next month’s withdrawal.
The Netivot march in southern Israel came as thousands of Israeli troops were poised for a possible ground assault in Gaza to end Palestinian rocket attacks following the recent upsurge in violence.
