DAMASCUS, Oct 31, 01 (CWNews.com) - The leader of the Palestinian terrorist group Islamic Jihad has said that he might agree to a cease- fire if Israel pulls out of the occupied territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The remark could represent a breakthrough in the policy of the Palestinian group, which to date has been pledged to fight for the destruction of the Israeli state. Moreover, the Islamic Jihad spokesman indicated that other Palestinian groups would accept a cease-fire on the same conditions.
Ramadan Shallah, the Islamic Jihad leader, told the CNN news network that peace would come only if American officials could "convince the Israelis to stop killing the Palestinians, stop hunting Palestinian activists-- to put an end to all Israeli measures like the siege of the villages, all kinds of Israeli atrocities."
The Islamic Jihad has long been at odds with the more moderate policies of the Palestinian Authority. On Monday, the Palestinian Authority arrested two members of Islamic Jihad and charged them with the killing of four Israeli women in a recent drive-by shooting.
Catholic World News Service - Daily News Briefs
31. oktober 2001