Hamas, Islamic Jihad Declare Cease-fire with Israel
Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad declared a three-month cease-fire with Israel on Sunday, a move which Israel immediately dismissed. Israeli Foreign Ministry deputy director-general Gideon Meir said the militants’ plan was simply to regroup. “I will repeat what Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said two hours ago to U.S. national security adviser Condoleezza Rice — this cease-fire is a ticking bomb because it actually maintains the infrastructure of terror,” Meir told Reuters. A statement from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, who have led a 33-month-old revolt against occupation, said they had “suspended military operations against the Zionist enemy” and would stick to the deal if Israel fulfilled a number of conditions. Full Story