Palestinians, Israel agree to talks after pressure from Rice

MIDDLE EAST: ISRAEL AND the Palestinians yesterday agreed to resume peace talks under pressure from US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, but progress appeared to hinge on stemming bloodshed in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.

Signalling a willingness by Israel to hold fire after a Gaza offensive that killed more than 125 Palestinians and stalled negotiations, prime minister Ehud Olmert said there would not be further attacks if Palestinian rocket salvoes stopped.

Dr Rice wrapped up a three-day troubleshooting visit in the region by dispatching a top envoy to Cairo, a key player in trying to broker any calm between the Jewish state and Islamist Hamas.

Hamas's western-backed rival, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, had said he would not return to statehood talks with Mr Olmert until Israel reached a ceasefire in Gaza. But after conferring with Mr Abbas, Dr Rice said a truce was not a precondition.

"I've been informed by the parties that they intend to resume the negotiations, and that they are in contact with one another as to how to bring this about," Dr Rice said at a news conference with Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni.

Dr Rice did not say when the next round of talks would be held.

The US hopes negotiations could result in an accord before US president George Bush leaves office in January.

Israel called its five-day Gaza sweep, half of whose Palestinian victims were identified by hospitals as civilians, a response to rocket strikes by Hamas.

A rocket killed an Israeli civilian last week and two soldiers died fighting in Gaza.

But Mr Olmert told reporters yesterday after meeting Dr Rice: "One thing should be clear: If there is no Qassam [ rocket] fire on Israel, there will be no Israeli attack on Gaza. We do not rise in the morning and think about how to attack Gaza."

Hamas was cool to Mr Olmert's overture, although its rocket fire has largely abated since Israeli troops withdrew from Gaza on Monday.

© 2008 Reuters

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times