GAZA/ISRAEL: Fragile truce between Israelis and Palestinians takes effect

Israelis and Palestinians largely abided by the fragile ceasefire agreement which took effect on Sunday (November 26) at 0400GMT. The truce, which has raised the possibility of moribund Middle East peacemaking being revived, is designed to end rocket attacks and halt a crushing Israeli army offensive in Gaza. "There is an agreement signed by the President Mahmoud Abbas, Abu Mazen, and the Palestinian Prime Minister (Ismail Haniyeh) with all the Palestinian factions to resort to the truce which we have accepted," said spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Nabil Abu Rudainah. "The Palestinian factions agreed to stop firing missiles from Gaza, starting from tomorrow at 6 a.m," said Hamas spokesman Gazi Hammed. The Israeli army said it had withdrawn its forces from Gaza overnight, before the truce took effect. Palestinian witnesses confirmed soldiers had left northern Gaza, where operations against rocket-launching squads had been focused. On the streets of Jerusalem some Israelis were sceptical "It takes two sides to really really want engage in the ceasefire. From bitter previous experience I really doubt that it's going to sustain itself for a long time. I am very sad about that," said a resident. Most daily newspapers led with headlines saying Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President Abbas had reached a ceasefire. The ceasefire could pave the way for a long-awaited summit between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on ways to restart peacemaking. Peace talks collapsed in 2000, just before a Palestinian uprising erupted. The truce might also speed up efforts to arrange a swap of Palestinian prisoners in Israel for an Israeli soldier whose capture by gunmen in a cross-border raid from Gaza in late June sparked the Israeli military assault. Some Israeli officials were hopeful the truce would pave the way to further developments. "I am hopeful that we will now have a period of quiet, a period of quiet that both peoples want so badly. It's also possible and I hope that it will come to fruition this period of quiet will allow for the renewal of the political process," said Israeli Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mark Regev. Most people in Gaza hailed the truce but some were sceptical. "Our tool for commitment within the Palestinian people is unity, we hope from all sides to unite. We will commit to the agreement, but what is the Israeli side of commitment. For example, what's going to make the Israeli side commit to this agreement?" said one resident. Israel, which completed a pullout of troops and settlers from Gaza in September 2005, threatened last week to step up the military offensive after an upsurge in rocket attacks. But Palestinian militants fired several rockets at Israel from Gaza just hours after the ceasefire took effect, underlining the fragile situation. One of the rockets caught Sderot's Mayor Eli Moyal on tour with a delegation from the Jewish Agency. "Well there is no ceasefire it's never finished before the fat lady come out and sings. They are talking a lot about what we are experiencing right now. Four attacks on Sderot since the ceasefire was enforced. There is no ceasefire if you are asking me," Moyal told Reuters Television. More than 400 Palestinians, about half of them militants, have been killed in the offensive, Palestinian hospital officials and residents say. Three Israeli soldiers and two civilians have been killed since the assault began.

ITN Source | November 26, 2006

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