Terror pays, Israel even dropped one of their key demands, that captured soldier Gilad Shalit be released......
An Egyptian-brokered cease-fire with Hamas in the Gaza Strip is likely to go into effect by the end of the week, Israeli defense officials said Sunday.
The officials said it was not certain Amos Gilad, the head of the Defense Ministry's Diplomatic-Security Bureau, would return to Cairo to finalize the deal, and that a truce could go into effect following a phone call between Tel Aviv and Cairo.
On Sunday, Egyptian Intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, the head mediator on the issue, met with a Hamas delegation to discuss new Israeli conditions set by Gilad during his visit there last Thursday.
Israel is seeking a multi-stage deal under which Hamas would cease terrorism and the IDF would end its operations in the Gaza Strip. Israel has withdrawn its demand that kidnapped soldier Gilad Schalit be released under the cease-fire deal, but has demanded that progress be made in the negotiations for his release before opening the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Sinai.
ZIP
Hudna
Posted by: Elric66 | June 15, 2008 at 08:44 PM