Palestinians agree to renew truce with Israel

[Stockholm]

Not one but two pieces of good news from the Middle East:

1. Reinstated cease-fire
2. Fatah and Hamas compromising to try and form a joint government.

Palestinian militant groups have agreed to reinstate their temporary cease-fire deal with Israel, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said yesterday.

The decision includes Fatah, Hamas and other factions of the Palestine Liberation Organization. Fatah had already halted its rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into Israel.

snip

The newspaper (Al-Ayam) said Hamas had demanded it maintain the post of prime minister and that the ministerial positions be filled in proportion to the parliamentary strength of the respective factions, thereby giving Hamas a majority in the government.

The PA's official diplomatic platform would be based on the Prisoner's Document.

more http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/751942.html

:applause:

[peacetalksforall]

1. Palestinians are being generous. I applaud their generosity so soon

after their neighbors were decimated and forced into refugee status and who lost their homes and bridges, hospitals and ports. I applaud all peace loving Israeli's who I hope are taking this as good news.

[pelsar]

2. neither hamas nor the PA

have control of gaza.....the kassam/katusha shooters, the tunnel smugglers all belong to different groups......and they patrol their own neighborhoods...its questionable if even if hamas and Abbas declare anything, if it can be seen on the ground.

all they have to do is stop the kassams from flying.....a move which neither may be able to do.

[idontwantaname]

3. this is true

but the citizens of israel dont have any control over their militarys actions either... oh wait... they do.

http://ifamericansknew.org/stats/cap-prisq.html

[pelsar]

4. thats a really poor comparison....

for one thing the IDF does have a political boss, being the state of israel, who is the responsable body for its actions...and consequently the people of israel.

you can hardly say that of the palesenain govt which has little control over:

Palestinian Islamic Jihad
fatah
al aska brigade
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
southern Gaza smuggling clan
etc

which is a major problem if one is looking for a stable peace in the area.