I thought something was being discussed because the invasion didn’t start already. On no conditions should Hamas get anything. Israel must invade. Ted Belman
By JPOST.COM STAFF,YASSER OKBI/ MAARIV HASHAVUA
Channel 2 reports Hamas seeks long-term truce; Its terms are the release of Schalit deal prisoners who were re-arrested, the opening of Gaza border crossings, and an end to Israeli naval blockade of Gaza.
One day after an Egyptian-brokered cease-fire accepted by Israel, but rejected by Hamas, fell through, the terrorist organization proposed a 10-year end to hostilities in return for its conditions being met by Israel, Channel 2 reported Wednesday.
Hamas’s conditions were the release of re-arrested Palestinian prisoners who were let go in the Schalit deal, the opening of Gaza-Israel border crossings in order to allow citizens and goods to pass through, and international supervision of the Gazan seaport in place of the current Israeli blockade.
Former Balad MK Azmi Bishara presented the group’s conditions on Al Jazeera on Wednesday.
Bishara, who fled Israel in 2007 after he was accused of aiding Hezbollah during the Second Lebanon War, estimated that the escalation would end within the next two days. He also accused Israel of agreeing to Tuesday’s short-lived cease-fire in order to legitimize further air strikes on Gaza after Hamas rejected the plan.
He said that Palestinian factions had been in talks with international authorities who would have accepted the terms Hamas has set forth, but the Egyptian initiative, which favored Israel and ignored the goals of the “Palestinian resistance,” brought all negotiations to a halt.
Bishara, who currently lives in Qatar, contended that Egypt’s shared interests with Israel and conflict of interest with Hamas prevented it from being an effective negotiator.
Instead, Bishara recommended that Turkey and Qatar, along with the US and other Western powers, lead the negotiations between Hamas and Israel.
On Tuesday, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said that the Islamist group had not received an official cease-fire proposal, and he repeated its position that demands it has made must be met before it lays down its weapons.
Hamas’s armed wing, the Kassam Brigades, rejected the reported text of the truce deal, saying: “Our battle with the enemy continues and will increase in ferocity and intensity.”
This is the classic “hudna” allowed by the Koran and Islamic commentaries. The most respite an enemy can be allowed is up to ten years. Plenty of time for Hamas to rebuild itself and replenish its weapons. If Israel wants quiet at any price, its a good offer.