American officials are already at work preparing a three-way summit meeting of Sharon-Bush-Abbas. At present, it is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, June 4, in Aqaba, Jordan - the port city adjacent to Eilat. Before that, a meeting between Prime Minister Sharon and Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) is scheduled sometime this week. Sharon is expected to explain the significance of yesterday's Cabinet vote on the Road Map.
Abbas, on the other hand, will present to Sharon the "agreements" he reached with Hamas leaders last week. It will be recalled that Abbas and the PA leaders discussed with Hamas the option of a year-long ceasefire - although Israel has long said it would accept nothing less than a total dismantling of the terrorist infrastructures. However, Hamas said it would agree to a ceasefire - known as a "hudna" - only if Israel releases all Arab terrorist prisoners and ceases all counter-terrorist operations. In Moslem tradition, a hudna is in force only until one side feels it can defeat the other.
Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz said yesterday that Israel would agree to a ceasefire of a few weeks: "That's a logical idea, but Israel expects Abu Mazen to fight the terrorist infrastructures and not suffice with the ceasefire."
It will further be recalled, as Arutz-7 reported on Friday, that Hamas spokesman Mahmoud A-Zahar, in an interview on BBC last week, said, "I’m telling you frankly, the attitude of Islam is not to accept a foreign state in this area."