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December 12, 2003/Kislev 17 5764, Vol. 56, No. 12
Cairo talks show Hamas strength
GIL SEDAN
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
JERUSALEM - In the Middle East, hope can be a fleeting thing.
Over the weekend, Israeli pundits predicted that talks among Palestinian terrorist groups and the Palestinian Authority were about to produce a new hudna, or temporary cease-fire with Israel - one that even would require some Israeli con-cessions in its war on terrorism.
But then Hamas balked. The leading Palestinian terrorist group refused to agree even to a limited cease-fire without a formal Israeli agreement to accompany it. So Palestinian Authority Prime Minster Ahmed Qurei left Cairo having suffered another serious blow to his prestige.
Qurei, for his part, is concerned that the collapse of the talks may set off another round of violence that will give Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon a pretext to speed up construction of Israel's West Bank security barrier, which Palestinians oppose.
Hamas demonstrated in Cairo that the longtime terrorist group is a tough nut to crack. It flexed its muscles to show that it wouldn't follow the rules dictated by Qurei and P.A. President Yasser Arafat.
Qurei wanted Palestin- ian groups to announce a cessation of hostilities against all Israelis but would have settled for an agreement to limit attacks to Israeli soldiers and settlers.
With an agreement in hand, Qurei planned to meet Sharon and demand drastic Israeli concessions in response: No more targeted killings of terrorist leaders, a halt to construction of the security fence and a freeze on West Bank settlements.
But Hamas, along with other terrorist groups like Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, refused to commit to any sort of cease-fire as long as Israel hadn't formally agreed to rein in its forces.
Mubarak expressed his disappointment on Dec. 8. "All we asked was that they give Qurei the power to negotiate with Sharon," the Egyptian leader said.
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