Media reports hint at possible Gaza truce effort

[admin]

Media reports hint at possible Gaza truce effort
« Thread Started on Dec 30, 2008, 2:47pm »

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Media reports hint at possible Gaza truce effort
Posted: 12:11 PM ET
JERUSALEM (CNN) — As airstrikes on Gaza continued for a fourth day
Tuesday, Israeli media reported that the Israeli military would attempt to
persuade the government to adopt a two-day truce.

The Israeli military immediately denied the reports.

The media included Israeli television networks Channel 10 and Channel 2
and the Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz.
Haaretz reported that the “defense establishment” said it would
“recommend that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert seek out a diplomatic initiative to
abate the war against Hamas and embark on a 48-hour truce.”

“The goal of the temporary calm would be to see if Hamas can abide by the
truce and cease firing rockets at Israel,” the newspaper reported on its Web
site.

However, Olmert’s spokesman, Mark Regev, said only that there were senior
government meetings planned Tuesday night. He said he was not aware of such a
proposal being on the agenda.

An Israel Defense Forces spokesman vehemently and unequivocally denied
the report that the IDF is recommending a cease-fire. These reports are untrue,
he said.