GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Talks about a long-term truce between Hamas and Israel have surfaced again after it was revealed that there had been an initiative to reach an understanding that could last for years, in return of achieving complete stability on the Israeli borders with the Gaza Strip, and ending the siege.
The initiative was made about two months ago by Robert Serry, UN special coordinator for the peace process in the Middle East, between the main parties, Hamas and Israel, as well as the Palestinian Authority (PA) in Ramallah and Egypt, the recent war’s cease-fire agreement sponsor.
Hamas quickly denied proposing a truce with Israel for five years, in return for ending the siege, according to what the Israeli website Walla published. But at the same time, it noted that a similar initiative was made by foreign parties, whose names it did not mention in its official statement. Serry himself had confirmed that he made the initiative during a meeting with a number of Palestinian journalists in Gaza City.
The initiative included a truce that would last four to five years, under the umbrella of the Palestinian unity government led by Rami Hamdallah. During this period, the Gaza Strip would be reconstructed and all military activity above ground and underground (tunnels) would be halted. In return, the Rafah crossing would be reopened and the Israeli siege that has lasted for over seven years would end.
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