National News

Palestinian militants agree to 3-month ceasefire, but Israel remains suspicious

Islamic militants agreed to halt attacks on Israelis June 25 for three months, Palestinian negotiators said, but the tenuous deal was immediately undercut by an Israeli airstrike and Hamas threats of revenge.

Ending 33 months of violence is a necessary prelude to the U.S.-backed "road map" peace plan aimed at establishing a Palestinian state by 2005.

Despite the truce accord, which some Hamas officials denied, there was no sign of a letup in the bloodletting. An Israeli helicopter fired missiles June 25 in Gaza that wounded a Palestinian militant and killed two bystanders. Earlier, Israeli soldiers fatally shot and killed two men who had fired on a tank, also in Gaza.

Israeli officials said that a truce was an internal Palestinian issue and they would judge the Palestinian Authority solely on results. Officials have been highly skeptical of the truce idea, fearing it is a ploy to enable militants to regroup for more attacks.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas has ruled out force to disarm the militants, fearing it could lead to a civil war.

The emerging deal was shrouded in some confusion, with Hamas leaders in the Palestinian areas strenuously denying it has been finalized.

But a deal was negotiated between the Fatah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups. In exchange for a 3-month ceasefire, they demanded Israel end targeted killings of militants and military incursions, and called for the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

The military wings of all three groups have carried out scores of bombing and shooting attacks against Israelis, killing hundreds of people on buses and in public places. Hamas has been the deadliest and has set the tone

As the uprising passed the 1,000-day mark, the death toll stood at more than 2,400 on the Palestinian side and more than 800 on the Israeli side.

Shukan ST: July 4, 2003

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