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Al-Jazeera
said Suleiman was to propose a six-month truce with Israel
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RAMALLAH,
West Bank, June 11 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Egyptian
intelligence chief Omar Suleiman met Palestinian President Yasser
Arafat and his Premier Mahmud Abbas Wednesday, June 11, as part of a
bid to broker a truce between Palestinian resistance groups and
Israel.
Palestinian
Information Minister Nabil Amr said Suleiman's visit was aimed at
"promoting a truce" to boost the implementation of the
U.S.-brokered roadmap for peace.
Al-Jazeera
TV channel cited reports that the Egyptian intelligence chief was to
propose a six-month truce with Israel.
It
was not clear whether Suleiman would be meeting with leaders of the
Palestinian resistance factions, especially Hamas during his lightning
visit.
Senior
Hamas official Ismail Haniya reiterated Wednesday that truce talks
were not on the cards following Israel attempt to assassinate
Abdul Aziz al-Rantissi, the political leader of Hamas.
Representatives
of Palestinian factions had told IslamOnline.net that Israel attempt
on the life of Rantissi was to foil Suleiman’s mission before hand.
"After
the failed assassination attempt against Abdul Aziz Rantissi and
Israel's escalation against the Palestinian people, there is no place
for ceasefire talks with the Zionists at this stage," Haniya told
Agence France-Presse (AFP).
However,
he did not completely close the door to the continuation of
discussions with Abbas as long as his movement's pursuit of the
Intifada against the Israeli occupation was not threatened.
"The
strike was aimed at provoking internal fighting among the
Palestinians, but we are in a favor of a dialogue based on our
commitment to recovering our land and ending the occupation through
the means we have chosen," he stressed.
Rantissi,
who suffered light wounds from the missile attack, was quick to
promise continuation of the Palestinian resistance
against the Israeli occupation army, vowing from his hospital bed
"not to leave one Jew in Palestine".
Abbas
had lashed out at the Israeli "criminal and terrorist"
operation, asserting that "such attacks obstruct and sabotage the
political process."
After
the failed assassination, Palestinian resistance groups charged Israel
of killing stone dead
the roadmap.
"Earthquake"
Hamas
armed wing, Ezzedin al-Qassam Brigades, warned of an
"earthquake" of revenge attacks for Israel's attempted
assassination of Rantissi.
"From
now on all options are open. We will attack at the heart of the
Zionist enemy. Our response will be very hard, of the magnitude of an
earthquake," the Brigades said in a statement issued in Gaza
City.
"After
the terrorist attempt to eliminate our leader Abdul Aziz al-Rantissi,
all Israelis are targets from now on and we have ordered our groups to
carry out attacks" in all of former Palestine, added the
statement.
Israeli
security services reportedly said they have intelligence on plans for
53 attacks, military radio reported Wednesday.
Half
of the attacks were planned by Hamas, which has been responsible for
the bulk of anti-Israeli attacks in recent years, the radio argued.
"Shock"
Egyptian
President Hosni Mubarak told reporters Tuesday's helicopter raid that
wounded Hamas political leader Abdul Aziz al-Rantissi in Gaza City on
Tuesday was a "shock."
It
"comes at a bad time, all the more so because the Americans have
asked to avoid reprisals," Mubarak said, standing beside Italian
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi following talks with him.
He
pointed out that the raid occurred as Egypt's intelligence chief was
trying to stop Palestinian attacks on Israelis during talks in
Ramallah, West Bank on Wednesday with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat
and premier Mahmud Abbas.
Egyptian
Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said earlier that the Israeli raid
"is part of Israeli attempts to torpedo the peace process and
defeat any serious effort aimed at reaching an accord among the
Palestinian factions.
"Israel
knew perfectly well that attempts were underway with Palestinian
factions to reach a truce and to halt attacks," Maher told
Egyptian radio.
