CEASEFIRE?

Abbas Says He's Close to a Cease-Fire Deal - Ken Ellingwood
Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday on Palestinian television that he was close to persuading Palestinian militant groups to stop their attacks on Israelis in the Gaza Strip. (Los Angeles Times)

The Negotiation Between Abu Mazen and the Palestinian Factions is About Money - Amir Buhbut and Marwan Atamna (Maariv-Hebrew)
A senior IDF officer explained Sunday that the principal obstacle in cease-fire negotiations between Abu Mazen and the terror groups is the amount of money he is willing to pay them to replace the funds they currently receive from Hizballah to conduct attacks. "There are thousands of activists who regularly receive funds from Hizballah which directs the attacks, and they don't want to find themselves unemployed," he said. The officer emphasized that Hizballah, together with Iran and Syria, is acting to block Abu Mazen's attempts to achieve quiet, out of fear that the IDF will then be free to act in the north.

Israel Willing to Halt Operations If Palestinians End Attacks
The IDF is willing to suspend operations against Palestinian militants if they end their attacks on Israeli targets, Prime Minister Sharon and Defense Minister Mofaz said Sunday. "After a long period of Palestinian terror and vigorous activity of the security forces against the terror, it is quiet," Sharon told a special cabinet meeting held in the rocket-battered town of Sderot. "I hope that there is a chance that the quiet will continue but if not, the army and the security forces will continue to do all that is necessary to lift the threat from the residents here." IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Moshe Ya'alon warned that there are groups in Gaza who are still trying to carry out attacks. He said the IDF would continue to operate in southern Gaza, since the Palestinians have deployed security forces only in the north. "Wherever there are no [Palestinian] forces or coordination, the IDF will continue to operate," he said. Palestinian militant leaders signaled they would agree to maintain calm in Gaza for at least a month, but denied Israeli accounts they had committed to a formal cease-fire. "We are ready to study the issue of a truce seriously, but at the same time, there is no cease-fire without a price," said Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza. (Ha'aretz)

Gaza Attacks Continue: Settlers Ask, "What Cease-Fire?" - Yaakov Katz
On Saturday, Kfar Darom settlers were shocked to hear media reports about Abu Mazen's success in achieving a cease-fire, as they were forced to remain in their homes during a half-hour shootout between IDF troops and Palestinian gunmen. They also reported an attempt by Palestinians to fire a Kassam rocket. On Sunday, shots were fired at a convoy leaving Netzarim and a mortar shell was launched at an IDF outpost nearby. (Jerusalem Post)

Netanyahu: Israel Need Not Give Abbas Anything in Return for Cease-Fire
Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel need not grant Mahmoud Abbas concessions in return for a cease-fire. "I do not believe that Israel must give something," Netanyahu told Army Radio. "They must give something," he said, referring to the Palestinians. "They are the side that transgressed. They are the side that tried with the force of terror to advance the terrible results that they sought." "First, I would prefer to see results. A truce can be an opening for a positive development, or a time-out between two offensives of terrorism. If Abu Mazen and his government begin dismantling the terror organizations, confiscate their weapons, and stop the poisonous incitement against Israel, then we'll know we are in the right direction. These elements must be dismantled. It's clear as the sun. It is a fundamental demand of Israel," he said. (Ha'aretz)