Palestinians and Israel Say They Are Open to Truce
By STEVEN ERLANGER
JERUSALEM, Nov. 24 — After another surge of violence in and around the Gaza Strip over the past month, Israel and the Palestinians moved gingerly on Friday toward reinstating an often-broken cease-fire between them.
In Gaza, Prime Minister Ismail Haniya of Hamas confirmed that the Palestinian factions — including Islamic Jihad, which had previously rejected any cease-fire with Israel — would halt their rocket fire if Israel halted its military operations in both the West Bank and Gaza.
Israel called the offer a media presentation, but said it was open to a more serious, formal proposal. “It’s not a question of, ‘You go first,’ ” said Miri Eisin, a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. “It’s a question of, ‘What are we talking about?’ ” A halt to all Israeli military operations in return for a halt to rocket fire alone would be unacceptable, she said.
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