Translated material
There will be no truce
Israel speaks to Hamas in the language of weapons
Yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert denied rumors about the imminent conclusion of a long-term truce between Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS), which seized power in the Gaza Strip in June . “What is happening now in the Gaza Strip can be called a real war between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and terrorists. We will continue to carry out military operations against terrorist organizations with the same intensity with which they have been carried out in recent months,” Olmert said at a government meeting.Over the past week, twenty people have become victims of Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip. According to the IDF, all of them are involved in the shelling of Israeli territory with Qassam missiles. According to Olmert, Israeli "security forces aim to minimize the number of rocket attacks on Israeli territory, as well as to eliminate those responsible for the attacks." Almost daily, Islamic extremists fire homemade rockets into Israeli territory.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry yesterday denied the fact of negotiations with Hamas to a Vremya Novostei correspondent: “Until Hamas fulfills the demands of the international quartet of mediators (USA, Russia, UN, EU), there will be no official negotiations, much less the achievement of any or there can be no agreement.” A year ago, the Middle East Quartet put forward three conditions - recognition of the State of Israel, all previously reached agreements, and the cessation of terrorist activities. The Israeli Foreign Ministry noted that another requirement for resuming negotiations is the return home of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, captured in June 2005.
The Palestinian side also did not confirm rumors about a possible truce. Nevertheless, Israeli experts are confident that secret contacts between the Israeli military and Hamas militants do occur. “Secret negotiations with Hamas have been, are being, and will continue,” Israeli military expert and former military intelligence officer Kopel Shumakh told VN. According to the expert, “the agreement between Israel and Hamas will be effective only if the Islamic radical group promises to stop shelling Israeli territory and also takes responsibility for any aggression from the Gaza Strip.”