Israeli infrastructure minister open to a truce with Hamas

Israel's official position is that it will not talk with Hamas unless the group renounces violence, recognizes Israel's right to exist, and accepts previous peace agreements.

Olmert's office reiterated that stance yesterday, and Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz said, "We will not have any negotiations with terrorist organizations."

But the willingness of a senior minister to openly discuss the possibility of a truce proposed by Hamas may indicate that the government is seriously weighing the idea. Israeli defense officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic, said yesterday, without providing details, that the government was examining the Hamas offer.

Hamas first floated the idea of a truce in a phone call to an Israeli TV reporter Tuesday from Ismail Haniyeh, leader of the Hamas government in Gaza. The proposal was officially made Thursday through Egyptian mediators. Previous truces have been negotiated through Egyptian mediation, but none have held for long.

"All the Palestinians are in a crisis, not Hamas," said Hamas official Salah Bardawil. "We are not lovers of war. We love our rights. If we can get them through a truce, that would be an achievement."

Late Thursday, Hamas said it had fired three rockets at Israel, its first such claim in weeks. The rocket fire is usually conducted by the smaller Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Committees militant groups.