The ceasefire reached between the Palestinians and Israel was still valid despite Israel's rejection to expansion of the truce to the West Bank and Palestinian militant groups' threats to tear up the deal, Palestinian analysts and observers said on Tuesday.

But they said that the ceasefire is undoubtedly in danger and faces collapse if Israel dose not adopt immediate steps to end its military operations in the West Bank.

"The deal would remain fragile, unless it is followed by more steps on the ground, especially by Israel, to enforce the aural deal and promote it into wider talks that could lead to a permanent mutual written truce between the two sides," said Ashraf el-Ajrami, a political analyst from Gaza.

Ajrami called on Israel to stop its military actions and arrest campaign in the West Bank as soon as possible to enable the fragile truce to go on.

On Nov. 25, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had a fruitful telephone conversation, during which a mutual ceasefire as of 6:00 a.m. (0400 GMT) Sunday was agreed by the two leaders.

It was the first time ever that Israel recognizes and accepts a mutual cessation of fire with the Palestinians.

Israeli side welcomed the ceasefire and responded positively from the first day of the ceasefire by stopping its military offensive on northern Gaza Strip and pulling the troops out of the area.

However, Israel's positive steps did not get equivalent response from the Palestinian side, from which rocket attacks were still launched into Israel.

Facing the violations of the ceasefire by some minor Palestinian militant groups, Israel exhibited its patience to some extent and decided to pursue restraint policy.

However, it still rejected to extend the ceasefire to the West Bank regardless of Palestinian threats of breaking down the current truce with Israel.

On Sunday, only little more than a week after the ceasefire went into effect, the ruling Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) announced withdrawal from the truce while Saraya al-Quds, armed wing of the Islamic Jihad (Holy War), also threatened to resume armed attacks against Israel.

However, Palestinian militant groups' threats were only regarded by political observers here as a political action rather than a significant one.

"I believe that Hamas position to quit the inter-Palestinian talks on the ceasefire with Israel was a pressure on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to oblige him to resume the talks on forming the new government," said Khaled Qadan, a Palestinian analyst from Gaza.

On Saturday, Abbas confirmed that the talks with the Hamas-led government on forming a national unity government was frozen, in a sign of an intensifying power struggle between Islamic militants and moderate President Abbas.

Qadan explained that Hamas withdrawal from the truce deal with Israel was made only as an urgent reaction to Abbas decision.

"Senior Hamas leader Nizzar Rayyan asked Abbas to get back to the talks table, or Hamas would quit from the talks on a cease- fire agreement with Israel," Qadan said.

As for Jihad's threat of quitting the ceasefire, the observers reckoned that it was a political reaction to the statement of Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz, who had clearly said that the ceasefire is partially observed in the Gaza Strip only and vowed to target those Palestinians who violated the truce.

Although the newborn truce is faltering ahead at present, the political and military turmoils in the Palestinian territories still have the chance to thoroughly strike the truce down at any moment.

Source: Xinhua