Israel joined a new round of Egyptian-brokered negotiations on a proposed truce in and around Gaza Thursday after deciding to give the talks one last go while preparing for military action if they fail. Amos Gilad, a top aide of Defense Minister Ehud Barak, arrived in Cairo for a meeting with Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, who has been mediating between Israel and Palestinian groups, officials said. “Egyptian officials will hear from Gilad the Israeli position on bringing about the period of calm,” an Egyptian source told the official MENA news agency. He “expressed hope that the truce between Israel and the Palestinians would come soon in order to lift the blockade imposed on the Palestinian people,” MENA said. In Israel, Barak told reporters his country “must assess the possibilities of reaching a calm” but that “our duty is to ensure security around the Gaza Strip and we shall do so.” “Our military is strong and we are ready. As soon as the order is given, we will act,” he added, stressing that Israel must first “try to reach the same results without turning to the armed forces.” Hamas has ridiculed Israel for claiming it wants a truce while at the same time gearing up for a military offensive. The Maariv daily said that following its meeting Wednesday, Israel's security cabinet gave truce efforts another two weeks. If Palestinian fighters do not stop firing rockets and mortar rounds at southern Israel within that timeframe, the military will be given the green light to launch a ground operation deep inside the Gaza Strip, the paper said. But if fighters do hold their fire, Israel will then ease the blockade it imposed after the June 15, 2007 Hamas takeover. Israel would then allow more humanitarian equipment and supply trucks to enter Gaza, army radio said. The authorities would also allow the reopening of the Rafah crossing with Egypt, Gaza's only one that bypasses Israel, but only if a captured Israeli soldier is released, the radio said.
