Cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas begins Thursday morning

The main item of Israel-related coverage in the UK media today is the announcement that an agreement on the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas in Gaza will come into effect tomorrow at 6am local Israel time. In other news, the Times and BBC Online report on the arrest of two Jewish West Bank residents who are suspected of assaulting a Palestinian. Reuters notes an Iranian statement that the country's uranium enrichment programme is a ‘red line', and that Tehran would push ahead its current defiant nuclear policy. Reuters has an additional article on US Democratic presumptive nominee Barrack Obama's policies on the Middle East. BBC Online follows reports suggesting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Syrian President Bashar Assad may be seated at the same table at an upcoming conference in Paris. 

In the Israeli media, all papers note the announcement of a truce between Israel and Hamas. Ynetnews reports on US scepticism regarding the stability of the Gaza ceasefire. Maariv quotes Israel's chief negotiator Amos Gilad, who said that the issue of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit played a central role in the talks on the truce issue. Haaretz quotes Hamas leader Khaled Mashal who threatens retribution for any violation of the truce, and the paper has an additional quote from a Syrian official who says that Israeli-Syrian peace could create a harmonious region. The Jerusalem Post and Ynetnews note plans for PM Olmert and President Assad to be seated together at a conference in France. The Jerusalem Post and Haaretz report that negotiations between Hamas and Fatah have been progressing in the past days and PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is reportedly planned to visit the Gaza Strip.

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