Ceasefire conditions - Israeli demand for 15-year truce unlikely to be accepted by Palestinians

The Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth has published the conditions set out by negotiators for a ceasefire to end the current Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip. The newspaper said that a senior security official arrived in Cairo from Israel on Sunday to discuss the Israeli government's conditions with Egyptian officials.
According to Yedioth Ahronoth, the Israeli conditions are:

A lull for a period of more than 15 years.

An immediate end to arms smuggling and the transfer of weapons to Gaza.

A cessation of rocket fire on the part of all armed Palestinian factions and an end to attacks on soldiers near the Gaza border.

Israel to have the right to hunt down "terrorists" in the event of an attack or if it obtains information about an imminent attack.

The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt to remain open, but the crossings on the Gaza-Israel border to stay closed.

Egypt's politicians, headed by President Mohamed Morsi, to be the guarantors of any ceasefire agreement, and not the Egyptian security establishment.

Palestinian negotiators have set the following conditions:

Israel to lift its naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.

The international community to be the guarantor of the ceasefire.

A cessation of targeted killings by Israel.

An end to cross-border attacks by the Israeli forces against Palestinians in Gaza.

An end to attacks against fishermen off the Gaza coast.

Political analyst Mahmoud Sarsour said that he would be surprised if the Palestinians accept Israel's conditions for a truce. more

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