A Breather In Israel

It looks like there could be a breather to the bloodshed in Israel — but it depends on a bunch of “ifs”:

SIXTH OF OCTOBER CITY, Egypt – (KRT) – Palestinian militants agreed in writing Thursday to end attacks against Israel through the end of the year as long as the Israeli government reciprocated.

The formal extension of the “calming down” period, agreed to at a three-day meeting among 12 Palestinian factions here, gives Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas a needed boost in his bid to win back Palestinian territory from Israel and restart peace talks.

He and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had agreed to end hostilities in a Feb. 8 summit at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheik. Thursday’s agreement marked the first time that Abbas formally had the militant groups’ consent.

At the same time, the two-page agreement assures that Palestinian militant groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad wouldn’t be forcibly disarmed, as Israel is demanding.

The agreement also creates a mechanism for them to share power with the dominant Fatah faction, a move that could radicalize the Palestinian Authority.

Nevertheless, Sharon told Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in a telephone call Thursday that the agreement was a “positive first step.”

A step in the right direction.