Palestinians from across the political spectrum warned Wednesday that Israel's decision to target Kassam cells in the Gaza Strip will lead to the total collapse of the current cease-fire. If you're blowing off rockets every day, you haven't ceased firing.
Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas proposed holding "backdoor" negotiations with Israel over final-status issues such as the status of Jerusalem, the future borders of a Palestinian state and the "right of return" for Palestinian refugees. Abbas made the proposal after meeting in Cairo with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. "Some time ago we proposed the idea of backdoor talks with Israel with the participation of one or all members of the Quartet to discuss all the issues of the final status," Abbas said.
He had proposed backdoor negotiations to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert during their meeting last Saturday, he said, adding that Olmert had no immediate objection and promised to consider the proposal. Abbas said he planned to discuss the idea with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during her visit to the region in mid-January. "There will be a need to revive this idea and discuss it seriously when Rice comes to the Middle East," he said. "These are not secret negotiations, therefore, they would help more than they would harm," Abbas said. "The Americans are also not opposed to the idea. We're not talking about secret negotiations, but an undeclared channel."