The major port city of Ashkelon was hit by two short-range Kassam missiles Monday morning. No one was hurt. One rocket exploded inside a private home's yard and the other hit an unpopulated spot in Ashkelon's southern industrial zone.
The day after the latest victim of Gaza-based Islamist terrorism was buried, Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman will visit Jerusalem Monday and meet with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. Although the visit is not formally described in these terms, Suleiman will be presenting Hamas's demands to the Israeli government, and the government will presumably be answering the enemy through the Egyptian middleman. The Egyptian plan for an informal agreement between Israel and Hamas includes the following, Haaretz reports:
• Israel would agree to reopen the Rafiach crossing, and perhaps others as well, and stop all military activity inside Gaza.
• In exchange, Hamas would promise to stop the barrage of rockets and mortars at Israel and not to initiate murderous terrorist infiltrations from Gaza.
• This agreement would not be valid in Judea and Samaria at first, but after six months of a ceasefire, Egypt will make an effort to implement it in Judea and Samaria as well.
The Israeli cabinet discussed the Egyptian plan Sunday and ministers were asked for their opinions. Several ministers, including Avi Dichter, Roni Bar-On, Ze'ev Boim of Kadima and the ministers from Shas, opposed it. Boim said the deal would be no more than a temporary ceasefire, which would serve Hamas and the other terrorists, who would rearm, regroup, and then renew their attacks on Israel. "We need to keep hitting at the terror, just as in Judea and Samaria, and keep on operating like a lawn mower, forcing the terrorists' head down," Boim said.
Talk of 'Tahadiyeh'
A senior diplomatic source said Israel would have to accept the Egyptian offer in order to avoid appearing like it was opposed to a calm in the fighting. The Israeli side, including the media, has adopted the Arab terminology and uses the word "tahadiyeh" to refer to Hamas's proposal. The word refers to a temporary lull in
Several ministers, including Avi Dichter, Roni Bar-On, Ze'ev Boim and the ministers from Shas, opposed the Egyptian plan.
fighting used for gathering strength.
Olmert will be visiting Egypt himself this month. The visit was agreed upon by Olmert and President Hosni Mubarak when they spoke on April 30. The two agreed that the visit would take place after U.S. President George W. Bush visits Israel this Tuesday, and next week's Arab leaders' summit in Sharm al-Sheikh, where Bush will also be present.
Hamas recently started using upgraded 120-millimeter mortar shells against Israel's civilian population. Some of the shells have a rocket's booster engine and their range has been enlarged to between six and ten kilometers.