A group of prominent Israeli academics and writers have signed a petition urging the Israeli government to negotiate a ceasefire with Hamas, the militant group in control of The Gaza Strip.
Internationally-acclaimed authors Amos Oz, David Grossman and AB Yehoshua were among the signatories who signed the petition. According to the petition such a ceasefire would help bring an end to the suffering of Israelis and of Palestinians. It claimed that “Israel has in the past negotiated with its worst enemies, and that “Now, the appropriate course of action is to negotiate with Hamas to reach a general ceasefire to prevent further suffering for both sides.”.
In response, the Israeli foreign Government described the petition as counterproductive, saying that any group dedicated to Israel’s destruction could not be a partner for any talks.”Giving recognition and legitimacy to Hamas can only strengthen the extremists and undermine the moderates”. Mark Regev, the Israeli foreign ministry spokesman was quoted as saying. Israel holds Hamas responsible for almost daily rocket attacks on its territory from inside the Gaza Strip, where the Islamist group seized control in June.
Source : BBC
