Palestinian PM appeals for calm
Saturday, July 8, 2006
Palestinian militants exchange fire with Israeli soldiers Saturday near the Karni crossing near Gaza City.
GAZA CITY (CNN) -- Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya on Saturday urged a halt to all military operations and a return to calm following a two-week standoff between Israelis and Palestinians ignited by the capture of an Israeli soldier.
Wa`el Abd Elal, Haniya`s chief of staff, made the appeal as Israeli forces continued their campaign to free Cpl. Gilad Shalit, 19.
The Hamas-led Palestinian government issued a statement saying it wants to deal with the issue diplomatically and to intensify negotiations over the abducted soldier who is believed to be alive and in good condition.
But the statement did not provide details about talks. Egypt has been leading international efforts to broker a solution to the impasse.
An Israeli government official said Israel would agree to a cease-fire only once the soldier is released and Palestinian militants stop firing rockets at Israel.
The Israeli military operations in Gaza began days after the June 25 capture of Shalit in a cross-border raid by militants into southern Israel.
Israeli forces exchanged fire with Palestinian militants and ordered Palestinian security forces to leave their outposts, Palestinian sources said.
Three Palestinians were killed in the violence Saturday, Palestinian security sources said. A 26-year-old man died in Israeli shelling in the Erez crossing area, and two males were killed by tank shells east of Gaza City.
Commenting on the Erez report, the Israel Defense Forces said its troops were not shelling that area.
The Israeli army earlier acknowledged hitting three Palestinian militants but had no information on their condition.
Israeli forces remain in parts of northern and southern Gaza, but troops and tanks have begun pulling back from the northern towns of Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun, according to the IDF. East of Beit Hanoun, Israeli troops were looking for tunnels and explosives, the IDF said.
Israeli engineering forces, who were searching for tunnels and explosives on the outskirts of Gaza City, have also pulled out.
On Friday, the Israeli military moved deeper into Gaza, extending its stated mission to find the soldier and end Palestinian rocket launches into Israel. Nine Palestinians died Friday in battles around Gaza, Palestinian sources said; no Israelis were killed.
The escalating conflict prompted U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Friday to urge the U.N. Security Council to address the situation in Gaza.
Palestinian Interior Ministry spokesman Khaled Abu Hilal said this week that Palestinian security forces received orders to join the resistance and fight the Israelis, but it was unclear how many had answered the call.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was not involved in the call to security forces, said Saeb Erakat, a Palestinian legislator and aide to the president.
Most of the Palestinian forces in Gaza are loyal to Abbas` Fatah Party, which Hamas defeated in Palestinian parliamentary elections earlier this year.
In previous conflicts, these forces have largely stayed out of the fighting between the Israeli military and Palestinian militants.
Conflicting words over prisoner swap
On Friday, Abbas said Israel promised to free captive Palestinian politicians and certain prisoners once Hamas releases Shalit.
Since Shalit`s kidnapping, the Israeli military took about 60 Palestinian Cabinet members, lawmakers and other officials into custody. Israel says it holds the Hamas-led Palestinian government responsible for the soldier`s disappearance.
"There are promises from Israel to release Palestinian prisoners who served 20 years or more, children, women and the sick," Abbas told a news conference, parts of which aired in Israel.
"[Egyptian President Hosni] Mubarak received those promises, and I heard them from Israeli officials. Once the soldier is released, they will do that and will pull out and will release the Cabinet members in custody," Abbas said.
But Israeli Interior Minister Roni Bar-On told Israeli television that he consulted with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who repeated there will be no prisoner release and no negotiations with Hamas.
Mubarak said earlier this week that Hamas had approved a conditional plan for returning Shalit, but Israel rejected the proposal because it called for a prisoner swap.
Israel has rejected previous calls for prisoner exchanges, saying they would only encourage further abductions.
In an e-mail sent to journalists Friday, Hamas officials said they had a message for Shalit`s family. The message says Hamas is treating him "well" and "humanely."
Also Friday, Bar-on told Israel television: "Our security estimate tonight is that Gilad is alive and in good condition."
