Yasser Arafat's national security advisor Jibril Rajoub said Tuesday that the Palestinian leadership is ready to declare an immediate, general cease-fire to end all acts of violence, providing that Israel agreed to halt military strikes against Palestinians and remove its blockades over Palestinian areas.
Israeli officials, however, were quick to dismiss the proposal, saying that ceaee-fires had failed to end the fighting in the past, and that the government stood by a decision not to agree to a further truce, Haaretz reported. They cited a government statement last week, which said a truce was no substitute for dismantling "terrorist" groups.
Speaking to Israel Radio, Rajoub said the cease-fire would not be temporary, as was truce declared by Palestinian factions in late June, but would be a comprehensive, joint Israeli-Palestinian move to pave the wave for peace talks toward a permanent agreement between the sides.
"We are ready to sit and we are ready to declare a general cease fire, but it must be something mutual. Without mutuality, nothing will be achieved," he said.
Asked to clarify the concept of mutuality, Rajoub said that the cease-fire proposal would require the Israelis to "end their attacks, and lift the blockades and closures over the Palestinian population, which has been suffering for the last three years."
The proposal would also require Israel to stop construction in settlements and halt building the West Bank seperation fence, the radio added.
On his part Arafat told his supporters in his West Bank headquarters "We say to the peace supporters in Israel that we extend our hand to you to revive peace."
Israel Radio quoted unnamed Israeli government officials as saying Rajoub's truce offer was an attempt to bring Arafat back to center-stage and "rescue" him from the threat of expulsion.
"There is no need to give a chance to a ceasefire that does not include dismantling all the armed groups, all the terrorist groups," said Israeli lawmaker Yuval Steinitz, who is in Washington meeting with Bush administration officials, including National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
