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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Hamas and Israel truce talks falter over crossings |
| 2008-05-23 |
| A suicide truck bomb at one Israeli checkpoint and violence at a rally by Hamas at another on Thursday highlighted frustrations in the Palestinian enclave at slow progress in efforts to secure a ceasefire with Israel. A pro-Hamas website said Cairo talks on a proposed truce between Gaza's militant groups and Israel had close to broken down. It blamed an Israeli refusal to allow a full and immediate reopening of Gaza's crossing to Egypt, at Rafah. A senior Hamas official who took part in talks in Cairo with Egyptian mediators said on his return to Gaza on Thursday that he would not confirm a breakdown of the talks and that the group would seek further clarification of the Israeli position. "We have listened to the Israeli responses," Hamas's Khalil al-Hayya said. "These responses require clarification and some answers and we await these answers in a few days. We hope they will be positive so that the siege on our people can be lifted." Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he is not encouraged by the lack of progress in the Egyptian-mediated talks. "The latest information doesn't give much hope. During the past months I have asked our brethren in Egypt to intervene to achieve this truce," Abbas told a news conference with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner in Ramallah. "Today I cannot say that we have satisfactory news. Until now there are still obstacles," he said. Palestinian officials familiar with the talks said Israel offered to hold back military activity, open what was previously the main freight crossing from Israel to Gaza at Karni, boost supplies into Gaza and to increase fuel shipments. |
| Posted by:Fred |