Israel Pledges to Keep Attacking Hamas

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon pledged to keep up attacks on Hamas, and Egyptian mediators failed Monday to persuade the violent Islamic group and other militants to call a cease-fire.

Speaking to parliament, Sharon did not mention a truce and indicated that statements by President Bush have reinforced his resolve against Hamas. Israel, Sharon said, will “pursue and catch every initiator of terrorism and its perpetrators in every place and at every time until victory.”

In Gaza, Egyptian mediators met all Palestinian factions Monday, but afterward a Hamas leader said, “Now is not the time for a truce.”

Still, Palestinian officials were optimistic a deal could be announced very soon. “I hope we’ll get some answers (from the militias) tomorrow,” said Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath.

Officials at the talks said Egypt would invite the parties to Cairo to continue the discussions and reach an agreement. The Egyptians told the delegates they had U.S. guarantees Israel would stop targeting Hamas leaders for assassination, as the militants demand, but an Egyptian diplomatic official said the mediators were seeking firmer guarantees from Washington.

Sharon ruled out any such blanket promise. Defending the tough line, the Israeli leader referred to Bush’s comments on Sunday that called for a world cutoff of funds to Hamas.

“Because of our position, the voices against Hamas in the world are increasing, and there are calls to increase pressure on this murderous group,” Sharon said. “This is what we have done, and we will continue to do it.”

Sharon repeated his offer of “painful concessions” for peace, without giving details, but added: “We will not give anything as long as the terror, violence and incitement continue.”

He said the struggle against the militant groups must include dismantling their infrastructures, which Israel has defined before as arresting leaders of the groups and disarming cells. Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas has said he prefers to bring about an end to attacks through dialogue, to avoid a civil war.

Late Sunday, Israeli and Palestinian security officials met in Gaza to work out the details of an Israeli troop pullback to positions held before the outbreak of fighting in September 2000.

Palestinian security chief Mohammed Dahlan and a senior Israeli defense official, Maj. Gen. Amos Gilad, discussed such a withdrawal over the weekend.

Sharon told his Cabinet on Sunday that he would not initiate military strikes in the event of a cease-fire, but would continue targeting “ticking bombs,” a term widely understood as referring to militants about to carry out attacks.

However, Israeli officials later said Sharon defines “ticking bombs” much more broadly and that it includes those who send bombers and other attackers. This would lower Israel’s threshold for continuing with targeted killings.

Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom on Monday rejected the idea of a deal with Hamas, saying Palestinian security forces have to dismantle militias, as required by a U.S.-backed plan, the “road map” to Palestinian statehood by 2005.

Shalom said a truce would simply allow militant groups to recover from Israeli strikes. “We can’t accept this (a cease-fire),” Shalom told Israel Radio.

Palestinian Authority officials said Monday they expect a cease-fire to be declared soon, and sources close to the talks said such an announcement could be made within 48 hours.

“We are optimistic about reaching an agreement,” said Palestinian Information Minister Nabil Amr, but declined to say how soon it would be reached.

There were conflicting reports on whether the Egyptians proposed an open-ended truce or a limited cease-fire for several months. Going into the talks, leaders of Palestinian factions said they are ready to consider halting attacks in Israel, but not in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Such a partial truce would be unacceptable to Israel, the United States and Egypt.

The Egyptian mediators, assistants to Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, held separate talks with various Palestinian factions, including Hamas, in Gaza on Sunday. On Monday, the mediators convened representatives of 13 factions.

After Monday’s session, Ismail Abu Shanab, a Hamas leader, said it was premature to talk about a cease-fire. “Now is not a time for truce. It is time for solidarity and standing united against Israeli attacks on our people,” he said.

The latest talks come after a bloody week in which more than 60 people on both sides were killed in bombings, shootings and missile strikes, and Hamas threatened multiple attacks in retaliation for Israel’s attempt to kill one of the group’s leaders, Abdel Aziz Rantisi. He was wounded.

The United States is trying to salvage the road map, and intense U.S. and Egyptian pressure came to bear on Hamas after the surge in violence.

A senior U.S. State Department envoy, John Wolf, was to meet with Israeli officials later Monday to discuss the peace plan. Wolf heads a group of officials from the CIA and State Department who arrived over the weekend to supervise progress by both sides.

In the first stage of the road map, Israel must gradually withdraw to positions held before the outbreak of fighting, while Palestinians are required to dismantle the militias that have killed hundreds of Israelis in shootings and bombings.

In the past 32 months, 2,400 people have been killed on the Palestinian side and 801 on the Israeli side.