Islamic Jihad says to consider ceasefire if Israel stops aggression

The militant group Islamic Jihad on Friday made a promise to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that it would consider halting rocket attacks on Israel if Israel does the same.

Khedr Habib, a Jihad leader in Gaza, made the promise after Abbas met with leaders of the hard-line group, during which Abbas urged them to halt the violence.

"Abbas said the truce is a national necessity" and "we said the truce must be mutual ... and part of a national consensus," he was quoted by the group's web site as saying.

According to the web site, another Jihad leader Khaled al-Batch also said that Abbas' proposal is "worth studying".

"The firing (of rockets) is a response to Zionist aggression," but "we are prepared to stop if their aggression ceases," al-Batch told a foreign media after the meeting with Abbas.

Palestinian media on Thursday quoted sources as saying that Abbas would arrive in Gaza late in the day to join a committee, which consists of members of Hamas and Fatah, to discuss ways of sharing portfolios of a planned national unity government to replace the current Hamas-led one facing deep economic crisis due to Western blockage.

The sources also said legal procedures to dismiss the Hamas-led government were likely to begin next week, after which a new prime minister would be officially asked to form the government.

However, the sources said that the new government would not be announced "until the Israeli government releases all imprisoned Hamas ministers and lawmakers," adding a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians was needed for this step.

Source: Xinhua