Abbas pushes Hamas to accept Egypt”s Gaza truce plan
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas called on Saturday for a visiting Hamas delegation to accept an Egyptian-backed proposal for peace in Gaza "without hesitation," saying that time cannot be wasted.
"We hope that the [Hamas delegation] will reach an agreement without hesitation," Abbas told journalists after meeting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak who floated his peace plan on Tuesday.
"The situation does not allow us to lose time," Abbas said as Israel”s offensive on the Gaza Strip entered its third week.
He said he hoped Egypt would manage to "iron out the reservations" about the plan of the different parties to the conflict.
Cairo”s plan calls for an immediate ceasefire for a specified period, opening Gaza”s border crossings, preventing arms smuggling into the territory and an invitation to Palestinian factions to reconciliation talks.