by Daniel Siryoti, Ariel Kahana, Gadi Golan, Yori Yalon, News Agencies and Israel Hayom Staff
Israeli officials say any deal with Hamas must include the return of Israelis held in Gaza • Hamas demands opening of main cargo crossing with Israel, construction of air, sea ports in Sinai.
A Palestinian rioter on the Israel-Gaza border
Photo: EPA
Israel on
Sunday set out limited goals for truce talks with Hamas, saying the
focus is on a proposal to ease the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip
in return for Hamas, the terrorist group that rules Gaza, calming its
side of the border.
The London-based Arab newspaper Al-Sharq
Al-Awsat reported Monday that Hamas leaders have expressed interest in
reaching a gradual arrangement with Israel.
In the first stage of the deal, Hamas would
cease its border riot and arson terrorism campaigns in exchange for
the full reopening of the Kerem Shalom border crossing, the main cargo
crossing into Gaza from Israel, and an expansion of the fishing zone
off Gaza's coast, currently 6 nautical miles.
The cease-fire talks, held against the
backdrop of several massive flare-ups on the Israel-Gaza border in
recent weeks, aim to prevent an escalation that would lead to another
war between the Jewish state and the Islamist terrorist group.
Israel and Hamas have fought three wars in the past, in 2008, 2012 and 2014.
Egyptian officials and U.N. Middle East
envoy Nikolay Mladenov have been brokering the truce negotiations, but
have not publicly detailed their proposals.
Mladenov and Egyptian officials have
spoken generally of a need to improve humanitarian conditions in
Gaza, stem cross-border hostilities and reconcile Hamas – which
refuses formal peace with Israel – with its Western-backed
Palestinian rival Fatah, led by Palestinian Authority President
Mahmoud Abbas.
"A complete cease-fire [by Hamas] will
lead, on Israel’s part, to the reopening of the Kerem Shalom
crossing and renewal of the permits given in respect to the fishing
zone," an Israeli official said.
He said any eventual broader agreement on
Gaza would require a guarantee of the return of the remains of two
Israeli soldiers killed in the 2014 Israel-Hamas conflict and two
civilians, both suffering from mental illnesses, who crossed into Gaza
in 2014 and 2015 and were captured by the terrorist group.
Construction Minister Yoav Gallant,
formerly GOC Southern Command, told Army Radio, "There will be no
deal unless the Israelis held in Gaza are returned. Hamas is at the
point where it has to change course. They have been backed into a
corner and they're looking for ways to achieve a truce."
Hamas has linked the return of the Israeli
captives and soldiers' remains to a potential prisoner exchange deal
with Israel, something many Israelis oppose.
In the second stage, which would be pursued
after the cease-fire proves viable over an unspecified period of
time, Israel and Hamas would discuss a prisoner exchange deal as
well as developing international economic projects in Gaza.
Several top Hamas officials, including
deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri, arrived in Gaza from Egypt on Thursday
to discuss the Egyptian offer.
"Hamas has conducted internal meetings
that have not yet ended," one senior official, Hussam Badran, told a
Gaza radio station.
"The suffering of our people, and the
11-year blockade imposed with no guilt on their [Israel's] part,
requires that all Palestinian leaders search for a real solution to
this suffering, without giving concessions when it comes to the known
and outstanding positions and rights of our people," he said.
Israel imposed a maritime blockade on the
Gaza Strip after Hamas seized control of the enclave in a military
coup in 2007. Israel maintains the measure is necessary to prevent
Hamas from smuggling in weapons and terrorists into Gaza. Egypt also
maintains a blockade on Gaza for much the same reason.
AFP
Lebanon's al-Akhbar newspaper reported
Sunday that as part of the deal, Hamas has demanded that Egypt build
an international airport near the Rafah crossing from Egypt into Gaza,
as well as a seaport in Ismailia, in the Sinai Peninsula.
Hamas also demands the construction of a
power plant in Sinai, so that Gaza's electricity supply, currently
partially dependent on Israel, can become independent.
According to Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, Abbas' government is following the negotiations closely.
Palestinian Authority official Ahmed
Majdalani criticized the talks, telling the newspaper, "Hamas does
not have the authority to represent the Palestinian interest opposite
Israel."
A Hamas official told Israel Hayom that
Abbas "fears an agreement that would not give the Palestinian Authority
back its control of Gaza. This is why he keeps sabotaging the
reconciliation efforts [between Hamas and Fatah]."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
convened a special session of the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet Sunday
to discuss the proposed truce, but the ministers did not arrive at any
conclusive decision.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot
and other top military officials briefed the ministers on recent
developments on the Gaza border.
The Prime Minister's Office said after that
meeting that the issue of a cease-fire with Hamas was discussed at
length and that, while no decision had been made, "The Israel Defense
Forces remain ready for any scenario."
Bereaved families outraged
Meanwhile, the parents of the two soldiers
whose remains are held by Hamas in Gaza slammed the government for what
they called its failure to ensure the return of their sons' bodies.
Golani Brigade Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul and Givati Brigade Lt. Hadar
Goldin were killed during the 2014 war and Hamas has held their remains
since.
At a special press conference on Sunday,
Shaul's mother, Zehava, said, "In a meeting two months ago, Prime
Minister Netanyahu yelled at us and called us liars. … This taught me
never again to believe [the government's] promises and do everything
within my power to ensure our boys come home.
"I hereby inform the government and the
prime minister that I will not rest until Oron is home. I urge the
ministers: Don't negotiate with Hamas and don’t sign any agreement with
this heinous organization. … I also urge the public to join our moral
fight and stop the government from signing an agreement with Hamas
unless it is conditioned upon the boys' return. This may be our last
window of opportunity. Do not let the government abandon them."
In response, the Prime Minister's Office
issued a statement saying, "Prime Minister Netanyahu never raised his
voice at bereaved families, nor has he ever accused them of anything.
This is true for the Shaul family too. The prime minister will continue
to spare no effort to ensure the boys' return."
Goldin's father, Simcha, said at the press
conference that "Netanyahu's words are hollow. The terminology we're
hearing now – a broad framework agreement – is nothing but a [media
spin].
"The truth is that there is no German
mediator, no Qatari channel, no Egyptian intelligence officer engaged
in efforts to return the soldiers and civilians. They don’t exist
because the prime minister has become a senior partner in reaching an
agreement of surrender."
Goldin's mother, Leah, urged Netanyahu to
"learn from [U.S. President Donald] Trump. Before the talks, before
the agreements, he forced the North Korean leader to return American
POWs and MIAs. Learn from that – there's no deal in exchange for
nothing.
"Netanyahu has to say, today, that in any
agreement, the return of soldiers and civilians must come first. In
the heat of the Middle East, agreements signed on ice are meaningless. …
We will not tolerate a betrayal of Israeli society's values."
Also on Sunday, several media outlets
reported that in a past telephone conversation, the prime minister's
wife, Sara, had told the Goldins they were "ungrateful."
According to the reports, Sara Netanyahu
was upset because Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked (Habayit Hayehudi)
had been invited to Hadar Goldin's memorial service. She reportedly
told his mother that the Goldin family's "connections with to my
husband's [political] rivals could hurt the prime minister's efforts"
to secure his return.
The Netanyahu family vehemently denied the
reports, saying,"Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul are always in Sara
Netanyahu's and the prime minister's hearts. Any statement to the
contrary is untrue and does not reflect the connection that was created
with the family."
Daniel Siryoti, Ariel Kahana, Gadi Golan, Yori Yalon, News Agencies and Israel Hayom Staff
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/2018/08/06/report-gaza-truce-talks-focus-on-easing-closure-in-return-for-calm/
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