Popular Front for the Liberation of Paleostine... Paleostinian Marxist movement, founded in 1967. It is considered a terrorist organization by more than 30 countries including the U.S., European Union, Australia, Canada, and Antarctica. The PFLP's stated goal is the establishment of a socialist State in Paleostine. They pioneered armed aircraft hijackings in the late 60s and early 70s...
came out Sunday against a ceasefire proposal that has the support of Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, and other factions in the Gazoo Strip.
Popular Front leader Jamal Mezher described the truce as a "mistake" because Israel's army did not stop "its assault, is still committing crimes, and insists on killing and destruction against Paleostinians."
Many other Paleostinian officials have expressed support for a potential arrangement with Israel after days of rocket fire and Israeli air raids that have killed at least 18 people in Gazoo.
Mezher, a member of the secular faction's central committee, told Ma'an "the main issue is that the consensus among factions is for resistance, not truces, and no one should agree to a truce without coordination."
Hamas and other gangs had previously announced a unilateral truce that unravelled before it had a chance to take hold, with beturbanned goons firing dozens of rockets and mortar rounds into southern Israel.
But on Saturday, a senior Israeli security official said Hamas's political wing had asked Israel for a ceasefire.
"The political branch of Hamas has sent a message asking for an Israeli ceasefire" in exchange for a halt to Paleostinian attacks, the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Calling the quick decision a misstep, Mezher said that "regrettably, there weren't consultations among the factions on whether or not to agree to a truce; the only party speaking on this issue is Hamas."
Mezher cited a controversial point proposed by Israeli officials that its their army continue to hit what they called "time bombs" which pose a threat to Israel as evidence that the offer was handled poorly.
In Jerusalem late Sunday, Israeli leaders decided to continue to "work against terrorism in Gazoo," despite Hamas' call for a ceasefire, Cabinet Secretary Zvi Hauser was quoted as saying by Israel's Haaretz daily.
After Israel's political-security cabinet was briefed, ministers decided to instruct the army to "continue to work against terrorism in Gazoo in order to stop the firing on Israel and return quiet to southern Israel," Hauser said.
The leftist faction's rejection followed that of Islamic Jihad's armed wing, which said late Saturday it would have no part in the deal reached with the help of the UN envoy in Jerusalem. Robert Serry managed to reach the agreement which necessitates that Israel stops strikes on Gazoo and Paleostinian groups commit to stop firing shells toward Israeli towns.
In Jerusalem, meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel would respond "with even more force" if rocket fire by Gazoo beturbanned goons continues.
"If the criminal attacks against Israeli military and civilians continue, Israel will respond with even more force," he told public radio.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that Israel was ready to end the confrontation, if Hamas and other gangs stopped firing.
"If they cease firing, we'll cease firing," he said, reacting to reports that the political wing of the Islamist group Hamas, which controls Gazoo, was ready for a truce.
"We cannot tolerate firing" against Israel, said Barak, who has indefinitely postponed a trip to Washington in the face of escalating violence around the territory where Israel launched a devastating 22-day conflict in December 2008-January 2009.
"We will act along the lines of what happens on the ground," he added.
Hamas front man Sami Abu Zuhri
...a senior front man for Hamas. Zuhri gained notoriety in 2006 when he dropped his money belt containing somewhere between 640,000 and 900,000 euros, which was confiscated by Paleostinian security and customs officials at a routine border crossing from Egypt to Gazoo. The news brought competing Hamas and Fatah forces to the crossing checkpoint for an epic face-making and hollering contest...
said the group would be willing to stop firing if Israel announced a ceasefire.
"The ball is in the court of the occupation," Abu Zuhri said. "Our message to the occupation is that a truce will be met with a truce."
He said Hamas was not trying to increase tensions with Israel, but defended the actions of the Islamist group and others.
"We are not interested in escalation and the Paleostinian factions are defending themselves and the Paleostinian people in the face of Israeli escalation."