PNA backs truce with Israel while insists on land unification

A senior official Tuesday said that the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) supports a truce with Israel, though not as a preamble to a Palestinian state with temporary borders.

Nabil Abu Rdineh, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's aide, said in an official press statement that a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel "is important, but not at the expense of our people and our land unification."

His statement followed earlier reports that there exist current efforts to attain a long-term ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to ease the Israeli blockade and build up a floating seaport for the Gaza Strip.

"Any ceasefire agreement paves the way for the acceptance of a state with temporary borders, and in such a case, this will incur destructive consequences on our people, their cause and their independence," he said.

He stressed that any ceasefire agreement reached with Israel should relieve the suffering of Palestinians and the price shouldn't violate the national Palestinian consensus.

Osama Hamdan, foreign relations chief in the Hamas movement, said in an interview with the Hamas daily "Falastin" circulated in Gaza, that Hamas received written suggestions related to truce under the Israeli occupation.

The Hamas daily reported that the written suggestions were sent to Hamas by Tony Blair, the Quartet envoy who resigned from his post last week.

"The suggestions revolve around resuming talks regarding the ceasefire reached towards the end of Israel's last attack on the Gaza Strip, reopening the crossing points and constructing both a seaport and airport for Gaza," said Hamdan.

The senior official stressed that Hamas's response to the suggestions returned to any party "will focus on ending the siege and dealing positively with this issue so as to end the suffering of the Gazan population. Enditem