Palestinian factions began talks Tuesday with Egyptian officials aimed at achieving a cease-fire that could reopen peace talks with Israel.
| Yeah, yeah. Yadda yadda. Bill Murray, call your agent... |
But militant groups had a broader goal — getting a say in negotiations to end the decades-long conflict with Israel. Factions such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which do not officially recognize Israel's existence, are laying the groundwork to be shadow negotiators, along with official delegates from the Palestinian Authority. Representatives of Fatah and several radical PLO factions met Tuesday with Egyptian intelligence officials trying to mediate a cease-fire in attacks on Israeli civilians, in exchange for a halt by Israel to targeted killings of militants and incursions into Palestinian territory.
| Uhuh. Sure. "We'll hold the football, Moshe Braun, and you kick it!" |
The meetings are secret,
| ... so don't tell nobody, okay? |
but Khaled Atta, a senior official of the Syrian-based Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, said the groups presented their views to the Egyptians, "who are optimistic."
| "Oh. Yeah. Sure. We think it's gonna work. It always works, dunnit?" |
The main discussions will not begin until Thursday, with the arrival of delegates from Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Egypt's intelligence chief, Gen. Omar Suleiman, met with both Palestinian and Israeli officials to set up the Cairo talks. He played a role in arranging the last cease-fire by the militants in June, which fell apart after about seven weeks when Israel kept up attacks on militant leaders.
| AP means "when Hamas blew up a bus full of people". |
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