Truce headway reported
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Palestinians and Israelis moved closer to halting more than four years of bloody violence on Sunday, with the new Palestinian leader saying he had made progress toward a truce deal with militants. Israel pledged for the first time to hold fire if calm prevails.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas extended his stay in Gaza until today, trying to win a declaration from armed groups that they will halt attacks against Israelis.
Israeli leaders said Sunday they would suspend military action if the Palestinians maintain calm, taking a key step toward a cease-fire.
The Palestinians were negotiating among themselves on conditions for halting violence without directly involving Israel. A truce was not formally in place, but little violence was reported Sunday, as about 3,000 Palestinian police patrolled Gaza areas near the Israeli border for a third day to prevent militants from firing rockets.
Though there have been other brief periods of quiet during four years of violence, optimism was heightened this time.
Abbas, who succeeded Yasser Arafat after winning a Jan. 9 election, was working around the clock to stop violence, backing up his earlier statements that violent Palestinian resistance had been a mistake.
Thank you for visiting Spokesman.com. To continue reading this story and enjoying our local journalism please subscribe or log in.
You have reached your article limit for this month.
Subscribe now and enjoy unlimited digital access to Spokesman.com
Unlimited Digital Access
Stay connected to Spokane for as little as 99¢!
Subscribe for access
You have reached your article limit for this month.
Subscribe now and enjoy unlimited digital access to Spokesman.com
Unlimited Digital Access
Stay connected to Spokane for as little as 99¢!
Subscribe for access
Oops, it appears there has been a technical problem. To access this content as intended, please try reloading the page or returning at a later time. Already a Spokesman-Review subscriber? Activate or Log in