Qureia calls for ceasefire in violent 'cycle of hell'
Earlier yesterday Yassar Arafat also called for an end to the violence with Israel, saying that "the time has come between us and you Israelis ... to get out of this cycle of destructive war". Mr Arafat has made such statements in the past, but he now faces growing calls among Palestinians to make concrete moves to end the bloodshed.
"To the Israelis, we want peace and security and independence that will not be realised unless we work together," Mr Qureia said. "Let's help each other stop this cycle of hell."
But Israel said it will only embrace the new Palestinian government as a "real partner" for peace if it shows a determination to act against armed factions such as Hamas.
"If the new Palestinian government is serious about pursuing peace and takes action to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism, they will find Israel a real partner," said Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's spokesman said the government was "willing to give him (Qureia) the chance to do what is right".
Mr Qureia issued the call for peace at a parliamentary session at which he won approval for his new cabinet, replacing the temporary emergency government he has led since last month.
His government is to be sworn in immediately, ending a two-month Palestinian political stalemate that has stymied talks on stopping three years of conflict and implementing the US-backed "road map" peace plan.
His speech yesterday included harsh criticism of Israel's policies. He called on Israel to stop Jewish settlement of the West Bank and Gaza and the construction of a contentious security barrier that dips in areas deep into the West Bank which he referred to as an "apartheid wall".
Israel says the barrier is needed to keep suicide bombers away from its cities. Palestinians say that the planned path of the barrier breaks up their territory, cuts farmers from their fields and amounts to a huge land grab.
Militant group Hamas said yesterday it would consider entering a truce with the Palestinian Authority to end attacks on Israelis, but expressed reservations over its chances of success.
Adnan Asfour, a Hamas spokesman in the West Bank, said in a statement that the group was "was ready to study any new hudna (ceasefire) offer and would respond after studying it".
Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other armed Palestinian groups agreed to a ceasefire on June 29 in an attempt to give former Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas' government a chance to succeed. However, the truce unravelled in a new wave of violence six weeks later and Abbas' government collapsed shortly afterward.
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