MIDDLE EAST: The new Palestinian president has made a number of promises to militants in an effort to secure ceasefires, writes Michael Jansen.
The possibility of reaching a ceasefire centres on pledges Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has given militants in exchange for their acceptance of a cessation of hostilities.
Mr Abbas has promised to secure an international guarantee that Israel will enter into a formal ceasefire and abide by it. Militants ended a 50-day unilateral ceasefire in 2003 after Israel continued operations against them.
Mr Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, has promised the Islamic groups - so far excluded from mainstream Palestinian politics - that their supporters will be given jobs in the Palestinian National Authority and security forces and encouraged to stand for the Palestinian Legislative Council in the July election.
He has also promised to accept nothing less than a Palestinian state in all of the Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem captured by Israel in 1967.
The final two points are of major significance. They suggest that Hamas and Islamic Jihad no longer demand an Islamic state in the whole of geographic Palestine but are prepared to accept a pluralist state in the occupied territories. Analysts argue that this major shift has been caused by the desire of a majority of Palestinians for an end to violence, a period of economic advancement, and a negotiated settlement.
As part of an overall package, Mr Abbas and the militants also insist on the release of political prisoners and the halt to Israeli construction of settlements, barriers, and roads in the West Bank.
A senior Hamas official said the movement had agreed to a test period of 30 days. If Israel does not carry out military operations against Palestinians during this period, Hamas will consider an open-ended ceasefire, the official added.
The other two players, Islamic Jihad and al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the military wing of the Fatah movement, confirmed talks were progressing. Another Hamas spokesman, Mr Sami Abu Zuhri, said there would be no ceasefire without "a clear commitment from the occupation to stop all sorts of aggression".