Report: Hamas agrees to 1-year lull

[azurnoir]

The Hamas movement has accepted the Egyptian initiative for a lull and is ready to launch it this week, Palestinian sources told the al-Arabiya network on Sunday.

The Palestinian sources said Hamas has agreed to have Palestinian Authority forces manage the crossing, as long as the Hamas government would be able to send inspectors there and the two sides would cooperate and coordinate their activities.

According to the report, Israel has agreed not to intervene in the Rafah crossing's operation.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3664941,00.html

[Idealism]

1. Initial reportings, oh how I despise thee

Hopefully something will come of this, but it seems at the moment that Hamas has agreed. Waiting on Israel to approve in writing.

[azurnoir]

2. Me too i actually did a double take when I saw the article

now if Israel just agrees and actually had a weird and probably tasteless fantasy about what groundhog day in Gaza could amount to

[eomer]

3. Is it possible to "launch" a lull?

Particularly if it is a lull in launches?

[Vegasaurus]

4. But, but, but

They can't control the other "brigades" of terrorists, so what good is their "lull", except as a chance to blame the rocket fire on other groups, while they themselves stockpile bigger weapons in their quest to take over all of "greater Palestine"?

[azurnoir]

5. Good news to some and bad to others

just as expected

[bemildred]

6. Hamas denies reports of a truce with Israel (Roundup)

Beirut/Cairo - Hamas representatives on Monday denied they had agreed to a one-year truce with Israel.

The Lebanon-based spokesman of the Palestinian movement Hamas, Osama Hamdan, reiterated the movement's stance that there could be no long-term peace agreement before the Egyptian and Israeli blockade of Gaza was lifted, contradicting remarks made by a Gaza-based Hamas representative Sunday.

'As we said before, we want the siege to be lifted on our people in Gaza. Then we can talk about an agreement,' Hamdan told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa on Monday.

In remarks aired on al-Arabiya on Sunday, Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said that a Hamas delegation now in Cairo would inform Egyptian officials that they would accept a one-year truce with Israel.

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1457181.php/Hamas_denies_reports_of_a_truce_with_Israel__Roundup__

[azurnoir]

7. Damn thanks but damn

hoping Hamdan just likes the sound of his own voice though

[Alamuti Lotus]

8. well, lifting the blockade is a reasonable precursor to anything else

such in itself is a legitimate cause for war in any decent society, even Israel (for precedent, launched military aggression against Nasser and allies over economic blockade of Tirani straits).

[azurnoir]

10. well I looked at it this way

if a truce deal was agreed to and not another tahidya then Israel would have to lift the blockade or come under intense international pressure and this time the US would be on board, now as far as the blockade being an act of war I am aware and have posted that fact several times myself.

[Alamuti Lotus]

11. you have more faith in this "international community" than I do

the track record of this mythic body is severely lacking where it counts.

[azurnoir]

12. No not really just hoping things have changed a little anyway n/t

[Alamuti Lotus]

9. the initial reports were misleading

this was not really any new offer, but a restatement of terms. The Israeli sources badly misquoted the statements currently on offer. I wouldn't doubt that it was the lousy Saudi-owned "al-Arabiya" network at fault, either.

Gaza – Ma’an – Hamas will accept a one-year truce with Israel that includes an opening to all crossings, including Rafah, into the besieged Gaza Strip, a spokesperson said on Monday.

Fawzi Barhoum told Ma’an that the Hamas delegation to Cairo will inform the Egyptian leadership on Monday about their new attitude toward a long-term truce. He said the ceasefire could be extended another six months if it includes lifting the blockade, in general.

"This is negotiable; if it fulfills the Palestinian people’s ambitions in ending the blockade and opening the crossings,” Hamas will gladly permit it, he said.

However, the fate of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit will not be negotiated as part of the deal, Barzoum noted. He called the issue “totally separate” from the ceasefire agreement, adding that “Hamas refuses to connect those two issues with each other since each has its own conditions,” referring to Hamas demands that Israel release Palestinian prisoners, as well.

http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=35461

emphasis added.

[bemildred]

13. Usually, anything that says "Report:" I consider to be "Bullshit:" until I know who said it.

It's always a good starting point, even when the "Report:" proves out, as they occasionally do.