Palestinians gather in Egypt for cease-fire talks
From Sausan Ghosheh
CNN
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Israel's barrier is among the key issues of a proposed Palestinian cease-fire agreement.
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CAIRO, Egypt (CNN) -- Unofficial discussions began Tuesday in Cairo between Palestinian factions in advance of formal talks about a proposed cease-fire on Israeli targets.
Thirteen Palestinian factions were gathering for Thursday's official talks, which are being brokered by Egyptian intelligence officials and aimed at advancing the Mideast peace process by halting attacks against Israelis by Palestinian militants.
All the factions are expected to agree to a conditional cease-fire, Palestinian delegates said.
In exchange for Israel meeting certain conditions, the proposed agreement would call on the Palestinian Authority to work with Palestinian militant groups to halt attacks on Israelis, according to Palestinian officials. The PA also would take action against militants who participate in future attacks, the officials said.
In the past, some Palestinian officials have said they would not attempt to crack down and disarm militant groups, partly for fear of triggering widespread fighting among Palestinians.
Israel repeatedly has said Palestinian terrorist attacks must end as a precondition for any peace agreement, not as "blackmail" in exchange for demands being met.
Palestinian officials said they expect the cease-fire agreement would be predicated on the insistence that Israel stop its military operations that have killed Palestinians, including leaders of the militant groups carrying out the attacks.
The agreement would also insist that Israel halt construction of its barrier near the Israel-West Bank border and stop any new Jewish settlement activity, Palestinian officials said.
Israel says the barrier, which it calls a security fence, is necessary to stop Palestinian terrorists from entering Israel. Palestinians say the barrier is a land grab aimed at confiscating Palestinian territory.
The proposed Palestinian cease-fire agreement would give Israel a specified time to meet the demands, Palestinian officials said
Originally scheduled for Tuesday, the cease-fire talks were postponed for two days because representatives of two militant groups -- Hamas and Islamic Jihad -- had requested their safety be guaranteed, senior Egyptian and Palestinian officials said Monday.
Leaders of the groups are concerned that Israel will use their trip to Egypt as a chance to kill key members of the groups, Egyptian and Palestinian officials said. The office of Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei said Monday that the cease-fire meeting would begin Thursday at the request of Hamas for "administrative reasons."
Three top Hamas officials had arrived in Cairo by midday Tuesday with officials from Islamic Jihad expected to arrive later.
Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades -- a military offshoot of Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement -- are listed by the United States as terrorist organizations and have claimed responsibility for numerous attacks against civilians that have killed Israelis, Americans and others.
The Palestinians have broader conditions for achieving this cease-fire compared with last summer's unilateral cease-fire, which crumbled after seven weeks.
In addition to requiring Israel to end attacks on Palestinian militants, this proposal includes halting the barrier and ending new settlement activity.
Last summer's cease-fire specified that militant groups would halt "all attacks" against Israeli civilians. Although the level of violence was reduced greatly, the cease-fire never resulted in a complete end to fighting, and began to fall apart on August 19 when a terrorist bus bombing in Jerusalem -- claimed by both Hamas and Islamic Jihad -- killed 21 people.
Both militant groups and Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades all declared an end to their cease-fire two days later, shortly after a senior Hamas leader was killed by an Israeli missile attack.
The agenda for this week's cease-fire meetings, as presented by the Egyptians, is summarized in three points, according to Egyptian and Palestinian officials.
• First, a discussion on the political situation and how to proceed. This section will include the cease-fire talks.
• Second, consideration of the political program that should be adopted and carried out by the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Egyptian officials want this section to include Palestinian acceptance of a two-state solution -- an idea that Hamas and Islamic Jihad have not officially accepted. Acceptance would mean de facto recognition of the state of Israel, which would be a highly significant step.
• Third, a discussion of Hamas' role in the Palestinian policy-making process. Qorei has asked Hamas to enter the Cabinet, and offered to dissolve the current government and form another, more encompassing one. Hamas does not want to participate in the Palestinian Authority, and has called for an alternative to the PLO.
Arafat has repeatedly asked Hamas to join the PLO, but the group insisted on having more power than was offered. Now, Hamas is willing to join only if it has veto power in any significant Palestinian decision regarding negotiations with Israel, senior Palestinian officials said.
A message resulting from the meeting is expected to be delivered to U.S. officials on December 9 by Omar Suleiman, head of Egyptian intelligence.
