Fatah on Sunday evening joined a truce declared earlier by Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
A statement issued by Fatah said it would halt all military operations in accordance with an Egyptian initiative calling for a six-month truce.
Fatah officials said the group's central committee approved the cease-fire several hours after Hamas and Islamic Jihad announced a three-month halt to attacks against Israelis.
Washington said on Sunday that a three-month suspension of attacks by Palestinian groups would be a step in the right direction but that "terrorist infrastructures" must still be dismantled.
"Anything that reduces violence is a step in the right direction," said White House spokesman Ashley Snee. But she added: "Under the road map, parties have an obligation to dismantle terrorist infrastructures. There is more work
to be done."
Meanwhile, Israeli soldiers and tanks pulled out from the Beit Hanun area in the northern Gaza Strip on Sunday night, as agreed upon by Israel's Gaza Division Commander and Palestinian General Abd al-Razeq al Majaida at a meeting earlier in the day at the Erez Crossing. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
