GAZA: HAMAS SPOKESMAN SAMI ABU ZUHRI SAYS CEASEFIRE WITH ISRAEL WILL NOT COME CHEAP

Record ID: 400387

  • Title: GAZA: HAMAS SPOKESMAN SAMI ABU ZUHRI SAYS CEASEFIRE WITH ISRAEL WILL NOT COME CHEAP
  • Date: 25th January 2005
  • Summary: (W4) GAZA CITY, GAZA (JANUARY 23, 2005) (REUTERS) 1. HAMAS SPOKESMAN SAMI ABU ZUHRI IN GAZA AT INTERVIEW 0.04 2. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SAMI ABU ZUHRI, A HAMAS SPOKESMAN IN GAZA SAYING: "We are ready to study the issue of a truce seriously, but at the same time, there is no ceasefire without a price. There can be no truce without clear Israeli commi
  • Embargoed: 9th February 2005 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: GAZA CITY, GAZA
  • City:
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Reuters ID: LVA9M4AILC41U5AQ2JOP9BRCPE3T
  • Story Text: Hamas says ceasefire with Israel will not come cheap.

    Palestinian militant leaders signalled they would
    agree to maintain calm in Gaza for at least a month but
    denied Israeli accounts they had committed to a formal
    ceasefire.

    "We are ready to study the issue of a truce seriously,
    but at the same time, there is no ceasefire without a
    price," said Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza on
    Sunday (January 23, 2005).

    "There can be no truce without clear Israeli
    commitments to stop all forms of aggression against our
    Palestinian people and fulfil all (our) demands fore
    mostly, the release of prisoners. Regarding the truce issue
    that was raised by Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas), our position
    in the movement is clear. Therefore, the ball is now in
    the occupation's court. When the occupation commits itself
    to calm, and there are guarantees on that, we will
    positively deal with that," he said.

    New Palestinian President Abbas said on Sunday he was
    close to a deal with militants to cease attacks on
    Israelis, a step needed to relaunch Middle East peacemaking.

    Abbas, elected on Jan. 9 to replace Yasser Arafat, told
    Palestine TV the dialogue was making very good progress and
    the differences had narrowed greatly, leading him to
    believe an agreement was bound to be reached soon.

    Relative quiet has taken hold in Gaza since Abbas began
    trying to swing gunmen behind his agenda of non-violence
    and "national dialogue" in which militant groups would
    participate in a Palestinian legislative election in July.

    But Israel and the militant factions, including some
    dedicated to its destruction, have avoided going first in
    declaring a ceasefire.

    Abbas, who sent 2,000 paramilitary security police into
    the north half of Gaza on Friday (January 21) with orders
    to stop militants targeting Israelis, stressed Israel had
    "many responsibilities" to carry out for a truce to work,
    including ending raids to detain wanted militants and
    releasing Palestinian prisoners. Israel said it was ready
    to suspend military operations if calm proved durable.


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