CNN today reported that high-level Hamas officials are stating that an imminent cease-fire with Israel is in the works, and could happen within three days.

Now, I’m torn on this.  First of all, we all know that Hamas can use open-roads, and a cease-fire, simply to rearm and regroup forces.  Then again, any move toward peace is a welcom one–if it really is a move toward peace.

Maybe if things with Syria were going better, this news might, just might, be a little more welcome, hopeful, promising.  Olmert, however, has been weakened by scandal, and it seems unlikely that anything done under his ministership will have any lasting value.

Egyptian sources have confirmed that the peace deal is to go into effect Thursday.

Of course, while the peace talks were in progress, six Gaza militants were killed by the Israeli Airforce.  Sources say the gunmen were linked to the kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

This brings up another question: How can Israel honestly broker any sort of peace deal with Hamas without the return of Shalit?  Rather than an honest deal, it may be perceived as another Israeli retreat–giving power to the militants and to the hard-liners in Israel, who will use this as evidence of Olmert’s weakness.   Ynet reports the Israelis say that any real peace deal

would have to meet three conditions:
Restrictions on smuggling of weapons into the Gaza Strip; a complete
halt to attacks on Israel; and progress in the Gilad Shalit case.”It’s

clear you’re not going to get to something even close to normality
without the release of Gilad Shalit, and for calm, you need to see
movement on the issue of Gilad Shalit.

And yet here we are…nearing a truce that does not include the release of Shalit…

One must wonder, what is the reason Hamas won’t return Shalit?  What are they hiding?  Other prisoner exchanges are occurring…so what makes Hamas so afraid to return Gilad Shalit?

Kain's major subjects of focus at NeoConstant are international strategy; support of Israel; the failure of the international community to stop genocide; the spread of American power and democracy; historical analysis; and current events both domestically and abroad. He writes here, Newsvine and his blog, IndiePundit.