OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, June 1 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - A Palestinian Minister negotiating with resistance groups to declare a truce with Israel said Sunday, June 1, it would be too soon to announce a deal at the upcoming Middle East peace summit in Jordan.

"It is clear it won't be possible to announce a ceasefire before or at the summit," culture Minister Ziad Abu Amer told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

But Amer expressed optimism that agreement would be reached, with resistance groups including Hamas which has said it would not halt its attacks unless Israeli occupation forces stop their aggressions against Palestinian territories.

He said contacts were "ongoing" with Hamas leaders and that Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas will meet with them after Wednesday's summit at the Red Sea resort of Aqaba with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and U.S. President George W. Bush.

A leading Hamas figure told IslamOnline.net that “the Islamic resistance movement is studying all probabilities concerning a comprehensive truce with Israel.

“Hamas may issue a statement declaring the halt of military operations, and calling on the (Arab) nation to be aware not to give in to the U.S. pressures that want to kill the spirit of resistance,” Ismael Abu Shanab said.

“The group is well aware of the huge pressures the Arab states and Palestinian leadership are exposed to. We do not accept this way of dealing with us, however, we will apply the utmost flexibility possible with these variables, while trying to preserve the spirit of resistance and aborting any projects that do not safeguard the internationally-acknowledged Palestinian rights,” he added.

Several ceasefires, some obtained through U.S. mediation, have been previously declared but never materialized on the ground.

Israeli forces said they would redeploy outside Palestinian cities

Reversely, a leading Israeli paper had said a ceasefire could be announced at Aqaba meeting.

"The important announcement to come out of the summit should be that of a comprehensive ceasefire initially lasting around three weeks," Maariv said.

After the three weeks, Israel would demand that Palestinian security forces move to prevent anti-Israeli attacks by arresting militants, it said.

"We are going through critical days and if the ceasefire holds, it could be the end of the intifada," the paper said, quoting Israeli defense officials.

Israel and the United States have demanded that any ceasefire be coupled with the disarmament and neutralization of resistance groups.

But Abu Amer dismissed the Maariv report, saying that negotiating the truce "is an internal Palestinian affair."

"We are waiting to hear from Hamas on the time-limit of the truce and its conditions. They say they want to confer with their leaders in and outside," the Palestinian territories, he said.

The Palestinian cabinet also said Saturday that it expected an answer from all resistance groups on its attempts to effectively call a truce in the 32 months of intifada, or uprising, in the coming days.

Abbas left the West Bank town of Ramallah on Sunday to prepare for the Jordan summit, which will be hosted by King Abdullah II, his office said.

On Tuesday, he will first attend another summit hosted by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh which will bring Bush together with a number of moderate Arab leaders.

The two summits are aimed at ending the bloodshed with an internationally backed roadmap for peace, which calls for an end to anti-Israeli attacks and the creation of a Palestinian state by 2005.

U.S. President George W. Bush is due to attend two summits this week as part of efforts to end the bloodshed with a roadmap for peace, which calls for an end to anti-Israeli attacks and the creation of a Palestinian state by 2005.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Abbas are to attend the summit Wednesday, June 4, in the Jordanian Red Sea resort of Aqaba, a day after another summit in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt between Bush and Arab leaders.

Ahead of the summits aimed at launching implementation of the internationally-backed roadmap, Israel started late Saturday to ease its blockade of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Also Sunday, the occupation forces declared easing its closure of the Palestinian territories when the Israeli army relaxed its blockade of the West Bank and Gaza Strip overnight, as part of a package of measures to ease the hardships on the Palestinians.

"The complete closure has been lifted from midnight (2100 GMT)", an Israeli military spokesman said, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Israel has also announced a phased handover of security control in Gaza and West Bank towns to the Palestinians, following "positive" talks between Sharon and Abbas last Thursday.

The closure of the territories, effectively imposed two months after the Intifada against the Israeli occupation broke out in late September 2000, has left the Palestinian economy in tatters.

It has prevented Palestinian laborers from reaching jobs in Israel and hampered trade flow with the Jewish state and the rest of the world.

Palestinian security sources said 4,500 men aged 28 and above were allowed to cross into Israel from the Gaza Strip Sunday, compared with an average of 30,000 before the Intifada.