CAIRO: Egypt on Thursday was trying to convince Hamas to accept a truce that would involve halting rocket attacks on Israel, in an effort to put an end to violence in the Gaza Strip and salvage Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Deputies of intelligence chief Omar Suleiman met with officials from Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad on Thursday in Al-Arish on Thursday, security officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not allowed to discuss activities by the intelligence services.
Talks on a truce were high on the agenda, said one security official.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has proposed a truce plan, according to which Hamas would halt rocket fire into Israel, and in return Israel would stop military activity in the Gaza Strip, the blockade of Gaza would be eased and the main border crossing between the territory and Egypt would be opened, Palestinian officials said.
The officials also spoke on condition of anonymity.
Egyptian officials have not specified whether the truce discussions they were holding with Hamas were centered on this proposal. Israel has not commented on the proposal, saying only that if the rocket fire stops, Israel will stop going after Gaza militants.
Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said earlier this week that Egypt is holding talks with Hamas “to push it to stop the firing of missiles.
“This is the only way to pressure Israel to halt its attacks, he said.
Egypt appears to have launched its mediation bid under heavy pressure from its ally, the United States. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice held talks with Egyptian leaders on Tuesday. US Assistant Secretary of State David Welch met with Suleiman and Aboul Gheit on Thursday to discuss the Egyptian mediation efforts.
Welch told journalists he was “reassured by the commitments he heard “about Egypt’s intentions in that regard.
“It is a difficult situation for every one but we must not lose sight of the target and we must not allow ourselves to be diverted by reaction of extremists view, he said.
In related news, Egypt has started building a three-meter-high concrete wall along its border with the Gaza Strip in a bid to prevent a repetition of a January breach which saw Palestinians flood into Egypt, a security official told AFP.
“Egypt has started work on a three-meter high wall along the border with Gaza, the official said, adding that a three-kilometer section of the wall had already been erected. “It is a preventative measure. There is no threat of another border breach at the moment, the official said.
Israel on Tuesday ended an offensive in Gaza that killed more than 120 Palestinians, but there were fears of a fresh round of violence after Palestinian fighters on Thursday ambushed an Israeli army jeep on the border with Gaza, killing one soldier and wounding three.
