Subscribe to Print Edition | Thu., May 15, 2008 Iyyar 10, 5768 | | Israel Time: 00:10 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
  Back to Homepage
Rosner's Domain
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Advertising
Books Peres Conference Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Zahar (right). (AP)
Last update - 22:56 13/05/2008
Israel mulls moving Gaza Strip crossings east to dodge rockets
By Amos Harel, Barak Ravid, Avi Issacharoff, Yuval Azoulay, and Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondents, and The Associated Press
Tags: Omar Suleiman, Gilad Shalit 

The defense establishment is examining the possibility of transferring the Sufa and Kerem Shalom border crossings, through which goods enter the Gaza Strip, deeper into Israeli territory, a move that would enable the crossings to operate continuously despite the recurring threats of Palestinian terrorism.

The new plan being mulled by security officials entails moving the inspection points for cargo trucks further east of its current location, out of range of Palestinian projectiles.

Sufa and Kerem Shalom have frequently shut down due to Palestinian mortar and terrorist attacks, preventing the delivery of basic humanitarian aid to Palestinian civlians in the Gaza Strip.
Advertisement
While touring the crossing points Tuesday, Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai pledged the government would improve efforts to reinforce homes in communities that have come under persistent Palestinian rocket fire.

"Even when our gut calls on us to act, we must act [using] our heads," said Vilnai, who also paid a condolence visit to the family of Jimmy Kdoshim, the civilian killed by a Palestinian mortar that landed in Kfar Aza last weekend.

"I would recommend to our enemies not to interpret restraint as a lack of confidence," Vilnai said. "There is no magic wand solution, but we are determined to bring quiet to the residents of Sderot and the Gaza satellite communities, whether it comes [as a result of] a diplomatic solution or a military operation."

Hamas: Shalit won't be part of truce
Gaza's Hamas leaders say that abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit will not be included in any truce deal with Israel, as has been suggested by Egyptian mediators and demanded by Israel officials.

Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar said Tuesday that the militant group would not
offer Shalit for free and his release is not related to truce talks.

Hamas' comments come after Israel demanded that the indirect understandings with Hamas include real progress on a deal to release Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Shalit.

Israel told Egyptian envoy Omar Suleiman it is favorably considering the Egyptian proposal for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

A spokesman for Hamas, Sami Abu Zuhri, said on Monday that Hamas doubts Israel seriously intends to accept the Egyptian truce proposal.

"If Israel does not agree to the cease-fire, all means are open to us," Abu Zuhri warned.

Hamas spokesmen explained on Monday that Israel's decision to condition its acceptance of a truce on Gilad Shalit's release is tantamount to rejecting the Egyptian proposal.

Zahar also said that Hamas would take action against Israeli communities around Gaza as part of what he termed "self-defense" if the truce were rejected. However, Zahar qualified his remarks by saying that Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman will inform Hamas of Israel's position only Tueday, and then Hamas will make a formal decision on its own position.

Meanwhile, despite the death on Monday of an Israeli woman, Shuli Katz, in a rocket attack by Gaza militants on Moshav Yesha, Israel will make do with a limited military retaliation to avoid a major escalation in the situation during U.S. President George Bush's visit to Israel this week.

However, Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Suleiman Monday that if the rocket fire and terror attacks from Gaza do not stop, Israel will have no choice but to expand its military activity in the Strip.

Islamic Jihad took responsibility for the fatal attack, as well as for rockets fired at Ashkelon Monday morning.

Suleiman, who is spearheading the truce talks, met with government officials in Israel on Monday to present the main points of the plan Egypt brokered with Hamas.

In response, Israeli officials presented him with an outline of the agreement as conceived by Jerusalem: In the first phase, there would be a gradual lull in the fighting in the Strip, with both sides ceasing offensive activity, while in the West Bank, the Israel Defense Forces would continue its operations as usual.

In the second phase, more goods would be allowed into the Strip. In the third phase, the Rafah border crossing would be opened to Palestinian traffic from the Gaza Strip into Egypt - although this point requires the agreement of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who still has reservations about it and is demanding a presence there for his forces. In return, Israel demands that Shalit be transferred to the Egyptians, as an interim stage prior to the release of 450 Palestinian prisoners.

But despite its reservations, there seems to be a consensus in Israel regarding the need to agree to the truce outline Suleiman delivered on Monday. A senior official who took part in the talks said that "Israel has no legitimization for saying no, even if not all of the components are acceptable to us."

The official added that "Israel must not come across in the international community as a naysayer regarding the truce in Gaza."

Another senior Israeli official said that "the outline for a truce is close to ripening, and will be ready to be implemented within a few weeks."

A defense source added that "this is not a process that will culminate in the sides signing an agreement. De facto understandings are being formulated, but we still need clarifications from the Egyptians."

The defense establishment believes that Hamas is very interested in securing a truce, despite the rocket fire from Gaza in the past few days, but wants to do so from a position of strength, so as to be perceived as dictating the truce terms to Israel.

Suleiman told his Israeli hosts on Monday that he is unhappy about incorporating Shalit in the deal. Rather, he argued, improving the atmosphere by means of a truce would help advance Shalit's release in the future.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Barak demanded that Suleiman resume pressing Hamas on this point.

Olmert also emphasized that Israel wants a stop to arms smuggling to be a central part of any truce agreement.

He asked Suleiman to convey Israel's messages to Hamas and the rest of the Palestinian factions, and Suleiman promised to return with an answer.

Shalit's father, Noam, said on Monday that any truce must include his son's release.

"The latest escalation began with the kidnapping, and the escalation must end with an end to the kidnapping," he said.

He accepted the possibility of Gilad being transferred to Egypt until Israel and Hamas finish negotiating the release of prisoners in Israeli custody.

"it is possible to reach understandings about a temporary cease-fire with a clear timetable - securing Gilad's release within 30 to 60 days in return for Palestinian prisoners," he said.

Related articles:
  • Olmert to Egypt: No Gaza truce if Shalit is not released
  • Three Qassams hit Negev, one explodes near schoolbus
  • Hamas offers six-month Gaza truce, with eye to West Bank expansion
    • Bookmark to del.icio.us  
     
    Grass is greener
    For the cannabis-growing residents of Lebanon, recent fighting has been a blessing.
    Piggy bank savings
    Welfare Minister Herzog unveils a plan to open savings accounts for every Israeli child.
      1.   Hamas truce include Shalit`s release 09:28  |  Citizen Zero 13/05/08
      2.   Sorry, Israel, but that`s a non-starter.......... 10:12  |  Swiss (Dino) 13/05/08
      3.   wishful thinking 10:17  |  observer 13/05/08
      4.   "Israel demands" 10:57  |  Clickfool 13/05/08
      5.   Shalit 10:59  |  Gazan 13/05/08
      6.   Marking time yet again... 11:06  |  Esther 13/05/08
      7.   #3 - observer - you blab it, now prove it 11:16  |  Adrian de Klerk 13/05/08
      8.   HAMAS NEEDS THE TRUCE 11:17  |  Robert 13/05/08
      9.   #2 Swiss Dino - The weaker side must make more concessions 11:22  |  Yonatan 13/05/08
      10.   I am for freeing all prisoners and hostages 11:31  |  El-Birawi 13/05/08
      11.   Hamas Truce/Hudna? No thanks! 11:56  |  Daniel 13/05/08
      12.   Hamas will pay dearly if they don`t release Gilad Shalit!!! 12:11  |  Reuma 13/05/08
      13.   truce 12:12  |  common sense 13/05/08
      14.   Israel is a pitiful state begging and cringing 12:16  |  Absolute Sweden 13/05/08
      15.   Shalit and crap on your Website 12:20  |  Feliks 13/05/08
      16.   HAMAS, SHALIT AND A TRUCE THAT SHOULDN`T BE 12:25  |  ANDY 13/05/08
      17.   Lets simply flatten GAZA 12:30  |  Michael 13/05/08
      18.   Enough is enough 12:31  |  Lev 13/05/08
      19.   WHY DOES ISRAEL NOT GET IT??? THEY ARE TERRORISTS. 12:39  |  Nechama 13/05/08
      20.   This is a load of crap, Hamas must be crushed... 12:41  |  David 13/05/08
      21.   No Release of Shalit, No Truce 13:00  |  Khaled 13/05/08
      22.   TRUCE WITHOUT ANY PRECONDITION 13:02  |  indrajaya 13/05/08
      23.   Ceasefire plus release of all political prisoners,women&children, 13:04  |  lakshmi 13/05/08
      24.   Israeli Policy 13:05  |  Mark 13/05/08
      25.   to Absolute Sweden # 14 13:10  |  dovale 13/05/08
      26.   ElBirawi 13:10  |  Aby 13/05/08
      27.   So there won`t be any deal. Continue to weaken Hamas! 13:13  |  redmike 13/05/08
      28.   #10 - Israel doesn`t have any `hostages`. 13:16  |  redmike 13/05/08
      29.   better to choke on sand 13:19  |  peter 13/05/08
      30.   Esther the efes 13:35  |  peter 13/05/08
      31.   Indeed Israel "wants" ...a true truce 13:37  |  16degree sunray 13/05/08
      32.   OLMERT SHOULD BE TRIED FOR HIGH TREASON 13:49  |  Freethinker 13/05/08
      33.   El - Birawi 13:56  |  Observer Uno 13/05/08
      34.   Hamas misunderstands its role. 14:08  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 13/05/08
      35.   Freedom for all 14:13  |  Keops 13/05/08
      36.   What comes around goes around 14:19  |  Iman 13/05/08
      37.   Hamas deal is no deal for Israel 14:20  |  Hilda 13/05/08
      38.   HOW I WISH TO BELIEVE THAT "HAMAS IS TRUE ....." 14:20  |  Atilla Karagözoğlu 13/05/08
      39.   to lakshmi 14:21  |  observer 13/05/08
      40.   truce 14:24  |  groovey furry 13/05/08
      41.   Hey Clickfool 14:34  |  Kenny 13/05/08
      42.   Time for an "Unconditional Surrender"..Hamas. 14:35  |  Stephen. 13/05/08
      43.   No West Bank Truce = No Galit 14:39  |  *BEN JABO 13/05/08
      44.   #2 Swiss (Dino) Gilad Shalit 14:39  |  * BEN JABO 13/05/08
      45.   There will not be a deal of any sort without Gilad Shalit at home 14:41  |  Aqiva 13/05/08
      46.   Hamas is being destroyed 14:41  |  Jake 13/05/08
      47.   ROCKET 14:42  |  simon hackel 13/05/08
      48.   Kudos #3. I agree 100%. A terrorist is a terrorist is a terrorist 14:43  |  *BEN JABO 13/05/08
      49.   Truce wrong, Machiavelli right 14:43  |  Gene 13/05/08
      50.   Reality Check - Oslo Failed 14:44  |  Straight Talk 13/05/08
      51.   # 9 Yonatan win/win/win or lose/lose/lose....???? 14:53  |  Swiss (Dino) 13/05/08
      52.   Similar to British after WWII 14:56  |  Sam C 13/05/08
      53.   Clickfool - Stop stealing my phrases - think of your own! 15:02  |  SA 13/05/08
      54.   Hamas: Shalit won`t be part of any truce deal 15:04  |  Julian 13/05/08
      55.   Hamas is right 15:05  |  jjvanka 13/05/08
      56.   10,000 for one is not parity 15:06  |  Jo 13/05/08
      57.   Freethinker - why is it all the "freethinkers" have to tell us .. 15:06  |  SA 13/05/08
      58.   Shalit 15:06  |  Ezra 13/05/08
      59.   Dino (#2) 15:15  |  jjvanka 13/05/08
      60.   No. 14 and No. 25--Not so easy in Sweden 15:17  |  a wandering Jew 13/05/08
      61.   Esther you really believe that Israel should `pay the price` 15:20  |  x-ray 13/05/08
      62.   How many have to die for this kid 15:20  |  Fred 13/05/08
      63.   Swiss Dino, #2 15:23  |  Michael 13/05/08
      64.   Hamas better release Shalit, The next leader will not be so nice 15:24  |  Shepherd 13/05/08
      65.   Considerations for a cease fire 15:37  |  Tosefta 13/05/08
      66.   Shalit is lucky 15:37  |  Natallie Durson 13/05/08
      67.   Situation looks very promising 15:38  |  Tosefta 13/05/08
      68.   Shalit Must Be Freed or Else....