Egyptian report says Hamas offers 6-month truce with Israel

Egyptian report says Hamas offers 6-month truce with Israel

news.yahoo.com

By OMAR SINAN, Associated Press Writer Thu Apr 24, 7:06 PM ET

CAIRO, Egypt - The Palestinian group Hamas is proposing a six-month cease-fire with Israel, saying it will stop firing rockets out of Gaza if the Jewish state simultaneously lifts its blockade of the coastal strip, Egypt's state run MENA news agency said Thursday night.

(visit the link for the full news article)

I wonder if this will even be taken seriously. Jimmy Carter recently met with members of this group among others and produced only a very limited and measured response. What do you suppose this means? Is it anything at all?

news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Maybe a glimmer of hope?
We can only hope isreal accepts this offering
Cross your fingers people

However, What happens after the 6 months?
Would the time be used for further talks, or when the cease fire ends would they just go back to killing each other



[edit on 24-4-2008 by Disgustipated]

What a joke. How about hamas stop attacking Israel on a regular basis, accept that Israel exists, and is going to continue to exist and you know, actually work towards peace and establishing a Palestine state.

All this offer is so they can smuggle in more weapons, stockpile food and resources, and then after 6 months begin their attacks again and back we will go to step 1.

This 'offer' is nothing more then an attempt by the terrorists to gain some breathing room from a blockade that is working.

Israel will be wise to laugh this one off and continue working with Abbas and Syria to establish a real peace.

Originally posted by US Monitor
What a joke. How about hamas stop attacking Israel on a regular basis, accept that Israel exists, and is going to continue to exist and you know, actually work towards peace and establishing a Palestine state.

All this offer is so they can smuggle in more weapons, stockpile food and resources, and then after 6 months begin their attacks again and back we will go to step 1.

This 'offer' is nothing more then an attempt by the terrorists to gain some breathing room from a blockade that is working.

Israel will be wise to laugh this one off and continue working with Abbas and Syria to establish a real peace.

Look, I don't know that I particularly share your view. But I must say that this measure IS a step toward that peace. If they call a truce for 6 months others may follow suit in order to see what may come of it. People are sick of fighting.

Israel will probably decline it.

I have nothing else to add but that^^

Originally posted by projectvxn

Originally posted by US Monitor
What a joke. How about hamas stop attacking Israel on a regular basis, accept that Israel exists, and is going to continue to exist and you know, actually work towards peace and establishing a Palestine state.

All this offer is so they can smuggle in more weapons, stockpile food and resources, and then after 6 months begin their attacks again and back we will go to step 1.

This 'offer' is nothing more then an attempt by the terrorists to gain some breathing room from a blockade that is working.

Israel will be wise to laugh this one off and continue working with Abbas and Syria to establish a real peace.

Look, I don't know that I particularly share your view. But I must say that this measure IS a step toward that peace. If they call a truce for 6 months others may follow suit in order to see what may come of it. People are sick of fighting.

Honestly I would like to think that too. But hamas isn't interested in any 'peace' with Israel. They never have been. Looking at this from a strategic POV, Israel gains nothing from a 6 month lull in fighting, while hamas gains the dropping of a blockade that is hindering them, they will have an easier time rearming, and it will allow them to begin fighting again after the 6 months is up, and likely with reinforcements.

I think Israel would be wise to ignore this false offer and concentrate on a peace deal with Syria. If Syria and Abbas come to a peace agreement with Israel, and they can establish borders for the state of Palestine, then THAT would be a real achievement. At that time, Israel would be able to turn over the issue of Gaza to Abbas and Syria to handle.

Just my thoughts. Now if hamas is offering to turn in all their rockets and bombs and give a listing of all there armed personnel as part of the deal, then that would show a willingness to quit the fighting and move towards the peace table.

reply to post by US Monitor


They just said they were interested in a 6 month peace treaty... is there some conspiracy there that you're in on and I'm not? Why would they propose one if they didn't plan to uphold it?

reply to post by US Monitor


You can't blame people for arming themselves against a perceived enemy. We do it all the time. Everyone does. However you can hold them to their word. Recognizing Hamas politically is a HUGE step toward peace.

Originally posted by Sublime620
reply to post by US Monitor

 

They just said they were interested in a 6 month peace treaty... is there some conspiracy there that you're in on and I'm not? Why would they propose one if they didn't plan to uphold it?

It's called "tactics". Your opponent is kicking your arse around the shop? You make a peace deal to get some breathing room.

Why stipulate it is for six months? If they wanted peace, they could approach Israel and say "okay, you got us, we give up. Lets just have some peace, and see where it goes from there".

As another poster said, this is a rearming tactic and I think Israel would be silly to accept it.

Hamas is dedicated to their destruction. Until they change their charter, any ovatures of peace are just laughable.

In that regard I don't blame them, however for hamas to gain recognition they in turn must be willing to do the same. It can't go just one way.

Originally posted by Sublime620
reply to post by US Monitor

 

They just said they were interested in a 6 month peace treaty... is there some conspiracy there that you're in on and I'm not? Why would they propose one if they didn't plan to uphold it?

I didn't say they wouldn't uphold it, I did say that once those 6 months are up, and they are rearmed, reinforced and refreshed that it will go back to the way things were before the blockade.

There is no conspiracy, this is just basic common sense and an understanding of tactics.

reply to post by US Monitor


But the hope is that if the 6 months go well and the peace is kept, another longer peace treaty can be formed.

It was also hoped that when Israel left Gaza that there would be peace. We see how that turned out.

6 months is nothing. It is only a ploy and not worth taking seriously. Yes it would be nice if it lead to something else, but hamas is asking for far more then they are willing to give for a measly 6 months.

Israel needs to refuse this and give a counter offer of recognition by hamas for the existence of Israel, turning over of all rockets and missiles in Gaza, and agreement to a non-aggression pact.

In turn Israel would recognize hamas as the elected govt. for the PA, and will work with hamas and fatah to establish final borders and recognition for the state of Palestine with an open trade agreement and security treaty.

That is what is needed. Or at least something along those lines. 6 months is nothing and is indicative of a far from serious offer at any real peace.

This would probably be defined as a "Hudna". See following:

"Hudna (هدنة) is an Arabic term meaning "truce" or "armistice" as well as "calm" or "quiet", coming from a verbal root meaning "calm". It is sometimes translated as "cease-fire"."
Hundna

A Hudna is a cease fire or temperary peace treaty between Muslim and non-Muslim, based in a conservitive Islam, no official peace can be made with non-Muslims, only temperary peace treaties, traditionally limited to a max of 10 years (due to one of Muhammad's famous treaties, where his Muslim forces were outnumbered, and made a 10 year treaty with the Quraysh tribe. After two years, with some arguing over the breaking of the treaty, either by the Quraysh tribe, or made up reasons by Muhammad, and the Muslim's went on to conqure the Quraysh). More conservitive, hardline Muslim's say that there can never be a permante treaty between Muslim and non-Muslim, only Hudna, and that these are maintained only until the Muslim is strong enough to begin attacking again. This is the bases of many of the treaties that the more extreme groups like Hamas have had with Israel. This is one of the most difficult things about making permanet peace with Israel, the hardliners who use peace as a cover to rebuild weapons. How do you establish long term peace with a group that 1. Is devoted to your total distruction and 2. Believes that it is acceptable to make false peace treaties and lie to you in order to win?

Now, many of the more secular Islamic governments don't follow this practice, and many of the more secular Muslim's don't believe it is right to do so. Some have made real peace treaties with Israel, so it's not the whole Muslim world that is a problem here, only the more extreme traditionalists that will abuse peace treaties and cease fires. I have to agree with some of the past posters, that this Hamas treaty attempt is simply another hadna to be used to rearm and rebuild. If lasting peace is to be found, it will need to be with more moderate governments and groups that are willing to comprimise (and of couse, the Israeli government will need to comprimise too).

Sadly, peace will never come from groups like Hamas.

edit: spelling

[edit on 25-4-2008 by demorior]

reply to post by demorior



Excellent post. Hamas has offered a 10 year truce before. My question is: What happens in year 11?

You know what, I'm not going to attack you for 10 years but after that, all bets are off.

Well, according to the hardline view, the treaty doesnt even have to last 10 years, you just say it does (lie) so they stop attacking you, and as soon as you've rebuilt enough that you feel you can attack again, you break the treaty. These more hardline Muslim's and their groups interpret the concept of "Al-taqiyya" to mean they can lie to any non-Muslim, there is no accountability when making promises to non-Muslims.

Again though, I want to stress that this is the view of the more traditional, hardline Muslim groups, like Hamas, not the more secular views that many Muslims have adopted these days. I want to say, this is not a global generalization of Muslims, in general this is only practiced in such a deliberate way by the more traditional, hardline groups.