Palestinian truce talks set for Cairo

The Palestinian Authority and Israel agreed a cease-fire at a summit in Egypt on Feb. 8. But the armed groups say they are not bound by it, though they continue to maintain calm.

"We will evaluate the current calm and the developments in recent weeks in order to shape a national position regarding the whole issue and the issue of a truce," said Mushir al-Masri, a spokesman for the Hamas Islamic militant group in Gaza.

Hamas and other factions at the forefront of a four-year-old uprising say they are still not satisfied with Israeli gestures meant to build confidence -- such as prisoner releases and an end to army raids and assassinations.

They demand the release of many more than the 500 Palestinian prisoners who have been freed so far and insist that Israel, now holding about 7,500 Palestinians, should include prisoners convicted for hurting or killing Israelis.

The groups also want a more sweeping Israeli pullback from the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

"One of the main issues to be discussed in Cairo is how we maintain calm and await Israeli responses to Palestinian demands in preparation for a truce," said Sakher Bseisso, a Palestinian minister who has negotiated with Hamas in the past.

"One cannot expect a speedy and 100 percent perfect Israeli response to our demands because of internal differences inside Israel, but we should put pressure on Israel by all means available."

Also up for discussion in Cairo will be parliamentary elections that are scheduled for July.