Daily Alert Archives

Israel Willing to Halt Operations If Palestinians End Attacks

(Ha'aretz) The IDF is willing to suspend operations against Palestinian militants if they end their attacks on Israeli targets, Prime Minister Sharon and Defense Minister Mofaz said Sunday. "After a long period of Palestinian terror and vigorous activity of the security forces against the terror, it is quiet," Sharon told a special cabinet meeting held in the rocket-battered town of Sderot. "I hope that there is a chance that the quiet will continue but if not, the army and the security forces will continue to do all that is necessary to lift the threat from the residents here." IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Moshe Ya'alon warned that there are groups in Gaza who are still trying to carry out attacks. He said the IDF would continue to operate in southern Gaza, since the Palestinians have deployed security forces only in the north. "Wherever there are no [Palestinian] forces or coordination, the IDF will continue to operate," he said. Palestinian militant leaders signaled they would agree to maintain calm in Gaza for at least a month, but denied Israeli accounts they had committed to a formal cease-fire. "We are ready to study the issue of a truce seriously, but at the same time, there is no cease-fire without a price," said Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza.
2005-01-24 00:00:00
Full Article