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No breakthrough in Gaza ceasefire push

By Ikenna Azuike and Perro de Jong

15-01-2009

Egyptian-led efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza continue. Both Israel and the radical Palestinian Hamas movement say they are taking the ceasefire talks very seriously. But there are disagreements over key elements of the Egyptian plan, including the deployment of international peacekeepers.

Israeli Ambassador Kney Tal talking to Newsline's Fiona Campbell
Israeli ambassador Harry Kney-Tal talking to RNW's Fiona Campbell 

In an interview with Radio Netherlands Worldwide, Hamas' representative in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan, said a ceasefire would be desirable as "part of the Palestinians' resistance against the Israeli occupation" of Gaza.

But he also warned that a truce will at best calm the situation, and will not solve the real problems. In addition, he rejected the presence of an international peacekeeping force in Gaza, which Egypt would like to see in order to prevent the smuggling of weapons into the area.

"We are seeking to get rid of the occupation", stressed Mr. Hamdan. "We don't want another type of occupation." Verifiable mechanism
For Israel, the stationing of peacekeepers remains vital, as Israeli Ambassador to the Netherlands Harry Kney-Tal told Radio Netherlands Worldwide: "We want to have a serious and verifiable mechanism on the ground to prevent the smuggling of these weapons. "This is absolutely essential because if not, we are going to find ourselves in a similar situation in a year, or in two years, or in six months."'

Border crossings
The two sides also remain at loggerheads over another important issue: that of reopening the crossing points into Gaza.

mp3.gifInterview with Hamas spokesperson Osama Hamdan
The Rafah border crossing in particular, between Egyptian and Palestinian portions of Rafah, continues to be a source of contention. The Rafah crossing was opened in 2005, but closed by Israel when Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007. Hamas-spokesman Osama Hamdan said that

"There must be a lifting of the siege on Gaza, opening all the crossing points including Rafah. After that, if there were any political issues they could be discussed."

But according to ambassador Kney-Tal, Hamas is itself to blame for the closure of Rafah.

"We signed an agreement in 2005 that provided for opening the crossings. The parties to this agreement were Israel, Egypt, the international community and the Palestinian Authority. Hamas was not a party to the agreement. And what's more, Hamas actually violated the agreement by continuing to shoot into Israeli cities. They shot at the crossings each time we tried to transfer fuel or other types of supplies. They shot at the crossings in order to create this type of crisis."

Elements in place
Meanwhile, all eyes remain on the Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak. He has already held several high-profile meetings, and both UN secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon and Israeli top envoy Amos Gilad are currently in Cairo.

Mr Ban said that despite the agreements, he is convinced that the chances of a ceasefire are better now than they were:

"I believe that all the elements are in place for the violence to end."

 

Tags: ambassador, ceasefire, Gaza, Hamas, Israel, Palestine, Rafah

Reaction(s):


Carlos Borjal, 16-01-2009 - USA

Israel should finish off Hamas now this is their best opportunity to do so before they are constrained by world opinion. They are not only detrimental to the Jewish people but also to the Palestinians they allegedly represent. They are doing more damage to the Palestinian cause than anyone can imagine or anyone can admit.

Michael Jacobs, 16-01-2009 - Netherlands

@ Joost op 15-01-2009 "I am really looking forward to see stop Gaza War" Do you know who started this war? "Israel has to quit their occupation" You are making a mistake. Israel does not "occupy" even a centimeter of "Arab" land. Neither Gaza nor the West Bank are "Arab" - just as Holland is not "Christian" or "white". Since there is no "occupation" of "Arab" land, peace can be made immediately, even today. Just stop all terrorism, all shooting of rockets, all incitement in schools and mosques against the Jews.

Joost, 15-01-2009 - Holland

I am really looking forward to see stop Gaza War as fast as possible. I am very concerned about the lives of Palestinian civilians from a humanitarian perspective. Today I heard that the representatives of Hamas has addressed to hold signature interim ceasefire for about 3 weeks. Israel should accept their offer immediately, if they don't want total disaster in Middle East and above all worldwide. On the other hand, Hamas has to end their rocket attacks against the Israeli civilians at the same time. I think that Israel should integrate their neighbours with tolerance and open-mindedness. That is, Israel has to quit their occupation and economic sanction and unpredecented "wall".

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