Middle East: Talks between the Palestinian Authority and various extremist Palestinian factions on securing a halt to attacks on Israeli civilians continued yesterday, with some optimists predicting a formal truce announcement as early as today, writes David Horovitz in Jerusalem
But the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr Ariel Sharon, made it clear that a purely temporary respite in such attacks was not acceptable and said that Israel would continue to target Hamas and other extremist leaders - "anywhere and anytime" - until the Palestinian Authority dismantled terror cells, jailed their leaders and confiscated their weaponry.
The Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister, Mr Nabil Sha'ath, meeting with European Union foreign ministers, said that a ceasefire was very close and that this would obviate any need to add Hamas to the EU's list of outlawed terrorist organisations.
Such a move has reportedly been suggested by the EU's envoy here, Mr Miguel Moratinos.
It has been advocated also by the British Foreign Secretary, Mr Jack Straw. "There is no doubt at all that the terrorist group Hamas is literally trying to blow this process to pieces," Mr Straw said yesterday.
Other Palestinian officials said that the prospects for a truce now depended in large part on Israel - and specifically on a commitment by Mr Sharon to halt the assassinations of key figures in Hamas and other groups.
During the intensified violence of the past two weeks, in which more than 60 Israelis and Palestinians have been killed, Hamas has carried out one suicide-bombing and had several others thwarted, while Israel has carried out seven assassination attempts on prominent members of Hamas.
An Egyptian intermediary reportedly told the Hamas leader, Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, that if he did not agree to a ceasefire "Israel will invade Gaza; the Americans have given the green light".
US envoys, who held talks with Mr Sharon last night, apparently have a blunt formula: "No attacks; no assassinations."
The envoys are said to have elaborated to Palestinian officials that the only way to guarantee a halt to Israel's so-called "targeted strikes" on leaders of the intifada was for the Palestinians to arrest them.
Mr Sufian Abu-Zaide, a deputy minister in the new PA government of Mr Mahmoud Abbas, said last night that "I do think we can reach a hudna" - using the Arabic term for a truce. "Not everything depends on Hamas," he stressed. "A lot depends on Israel."
Mr Sharon promised to hunt down bombers and gunmen everywhere, although he expressed sorrow at the deaths of Palestinian civilians in recent Israeli military strikes.