Arafat expects formal truce announcement 'in coming hours'

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said today that he expects an official announcement later today of an agreement by Palestinian militias to suspend attacks on Israelis.

His comments were the highest level yet on the emerging agreement by Hamas and the other armed groups on a temporary truce.

Palestinian officials involved in the negotiations have said they have secured a commitment by militia leaders to halt attacks for three months.

Arafat said: “Until now, it has not been officially decided, but we expect that in the coming few hours, there will be a declaration.”

Palestinian Authority officials and Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip had insisted the deal was not final, while Israel and the United States remained sceptical, saying the Palestinians must quickly disarm the militias.

In new violence today, Palestinians fired several mortars and home-made rockets at a Jewish settlement in Gaza and an Israeli community bordering the strip, damaging a Jewish seminary.

In the West Bank city of Hebron, Israeli troops razed the family home of a Hamas militant accused of recruited suicide bombers.

A truce might help end 33 months of violence, a necessary prelude to the US-backed road map to a Palestinian state by 2005.

The plan requires the Palestinians to break up the armed groups, but Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas has ruled out using force, saying he fears it would lead to civil war.

Palestinian MP Kadoura Fares said a ceasefire would be announced by the militants formally by tomorrow.

As part of the truce talks, the Palestinian militias have sought guarantees from Israel that it will halt all military strikes, including targeted killings of wanted Palestinians.

Nabil Abu Rdeneh, a senior Arafat aide, said “we are still waiting for guarantees from the Americans to force Israel to stop its assassination policy.”

US National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice is to arrive in the region later this week for meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

Israel has said it cannot give a blanket promise to halt strikes against Palestinians planning shootings and bombings, as long as Palestinian security forces do not act against the armed groups.

US President George Bush, siding with Israel, said yesterday that “in order for there to be peace in the Middle East, we must see organisations such as Hamas dismantled, and then we will have peace, we will have a chance for peace.”

As word came of the emerging ceasefire yesterday, Israeli helicopters fired rockets at a car carrying a Hamas militant in the Gaza Strip, killing two bystanders and wounding 17 people.

Among those hurt was the targeted man, Mohammed Siam, who Israel said was on his way to fire mortars at a Jewish settlement.

Israel’s deputy prime minister, Ehud Olmert, said Israel would not compromise on its security.

“Each time, we fear there will be a terrorist attack and it won’t be addressed by the Palestinians, we will react,” he said.

However, Cabinet Minister Yosef Lapid, head of the moderate Shinui party, said Israel should give a truce a chance.

“If they will stop their terror attacks, we can stop the activities against them, and that way we can see if they are proving that they support the road map or are taking advantage of the ceasefire,” he said.