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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Hamas, Islamic Jihad reject Egypt truce |
| 2008-03-28 |
| Hamas and Islamic Jihad on Thursday rejected an Egyptian-brokered truce with Israel in the Gaza Strip after fresh talks in Egypt, saying it must include all Palestinian territories. Hamas political bureau member Jamal Abu Hashem and senior Islamic Jihad member Khaled al-Batsh met two aides to Egyptian security chief Omar Suleiman to discuss the proposed ceasefire, an Egyptian security official told AFP. But following the talks on the Gaza-Egypt border, the two movements said that any truce with Israel must include both the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank. The Palestinians also wanted the deal to include the re-opening of the crossings into the impoverished territory, which were sealed after the Islamists violently seized control in Gaza last June. "Any truce with Israel must include the West Bank, the lifting of the siege and the opening of the border crossings," Batsh said after the talks, echoing a reaction by Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum echoed. Egypt, one of only two Arab states to have signed a peace deal with Israel, has been seeking to broker a truce or lull in fighting between Hamas and the Jewish state after an upsurge in violence last month. In separate meetings with US and Israeli envoys and representatives from the main Palestinian factions, Egypt has also been trying to secure an agreement to lift Israel's blockade of Gaza and reopen its land crossings. Since Hamas took power, Israel has tightened restrictions on Gaza, preventing all but vital humanitarian aid from entering in an attempt to pressure the Hamas-run government to halt rocket attacks. Following the last round of such talks on Saturday, Egypt released 33 Hamas members who had been detained after crossing from the Gaza Strip. Hamas had accused accused Egypt of torturing its members. |
| Posted by:Fred |