GAZA CITY, Jan 23 (AFP) - Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas was confident Sunday that the armed factions would soon call a formal ceasefire as Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon acknowledged a respite in rocket attacks from Gaza.
While militant groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad expressed a willingness to halt attacks if Israel made a reciprocal move, sources close to their talks with Abbas over the last five days said a "cooling down" period was already in place.
"The Palestinian national dialogue has made very significant progress and we will reach an agreement concerning this ceasefire very soon," Abbas told Palestinian state television.
But the newly elected Palestinian Authority president also urged Israel to show flexibility by calling a halt to its military operations and freeing Palestinian prisoners.
"There are also responsibilities on the Israeli side," he said. "They should put an end to attacks against our people and cities and villages, stop going after our wanted people, return people who have been deported to their home towns and give priority to the prisoner issue."
Abbas's comments echoed spokesmen for both Hamas and Jihad who said that the ball was now in Israel's court.
"Our position is that the Israeli occupation should first commit itself to a ceasefire. After that we have no objections about dealing with this subject positively," said Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri.
Israel had to give "a clear commitment to stop their aggressions against our people", Abu Zuhri said, conditioning any ceasefire on the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
Khaled al-Batsh, one of Jihad's leaders in the Gaza Strip, also said that any ceasefire agreement was conditional on "the release of the prisoners, and an end to the assassinations and incursions".
The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a militant faction linked to Abbas' Fatah faction, said Saturday that its member groups were prepared to halt attacks, but again on condition that prisoners be freed and Israel ends its military operations in the occupied territories.
A source close to the talks between Abbas and the factions in Gaza City confirmed that there had been an agreement to curb attacks temporarily.
"It's clear that there has been a cooling down on the ground and it seems that there is a positive attitude from the factions to give things a chance, but this depends on the Israeli response," he told AFP.
"The cooling off period is in existence now... But a cooling off is one thing and a ceasefire is another thing."
The Israeli army said no rockets or mortars had been fired at settlements or at southern Israel since around 2,500 Palestinian security forces were ordered to deploy around Gaza with express instructions from Abbas to end the attacks.
Sharon said Israel would not hesitate to do "all that is necessary" and implement plans for a large-scale invasion of Gaza if the attacks resumed, but he also acknowledged that a period of calm was now at hand.
"After a long period of Palestinian terror and intensive action on the part of our security forces against terrorism, there is now quiet," Sharon said at the start of a cabinet meeting specially convened in Sderot which has been a frequent target of attacks.
"We do not know whether a real change has occurred in the situation. We hope so. We are following what is happening."
His Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz had earlier expressed belief that Hamas and its smaller rival Islamic Jihad had agreed to suspend their operations.
"An agreement on a ceasefire was completed between Abu Mazen (Abbas) and terrorist organisations, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad," Mofaz said on military radio.
"This agreement was sealed in exchange for the future integration, notably of Hamas, in the Palestinian political institutions," Mofaz added.
"The agreement constitutes a positive sign and a success for Abu Mazen, we are pleased with it but must closely follow the way the terrorist organisations conduct themselves on the ground."
Abbas had been due to return to his offices in the West Bank town of Ramallah late Sunday but sources said that he would stay for another night.
Officials previously said that he would not leave Gaza until he had a ceasefire agreement in the bag.
01/23/2005 16:41 GMT - AFP