The Morning Beat - February 19

Forming a Government Coalition

Israeli President Shimon Peres has met with the leaders of the major parties and will now have to decide who will be tasked with forming the next government.

Yisrael Beitenu's Avigdor Lieberman threw his support behind the Likud's Binyamin Netanyahu. President Peres called for a meeting tomorrow with Netanyahu and Kadima's Tzipi Livni. And Kadima officials are already pointing to the benches of the opposition.

Kadima MK Tzachi Hanegbi told Israel Radio today,

In the next few weeks, a Netanyahu government will be established in Israel. It will number 65 supporters. Kadima is on its way to leading the opposition. That's the story, pure and simple.

An Israel-Hamas Cease-fire?

Cease-fire talks with Hamas have also become the stuff of internal Israeli politicking. The deal that defense ministry official Amos Gilad has been working out with the Egyptians for months has been rejected in Israel.

But there is now a counter-proposal. h

Shimon Shiffer explained in Yediot Acharonth,

Israel is proposing to Hamas to begin immediate negotiations in Egypt to release soldier Gilad Shalit in return for releasing hundreds of "heavy" prisoners imprisoned for long terms on charges of planning and executing terror attacks against Israelis.

It has been learned that the Israeli side recently submitted to Hamas a list of hundreds of prisoners that did not appear on the list of prisoners whose release Hamas was demanding.  According to the Israeli proposal-prepared in the last few months by a staff set up secretly at Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's order to which IDF and GSS officials were party-the list contains Hamas prisoners imprisoned in Israeli jails for murder and for committing terror attacks.

A clause of this deal, which was approved by the Israeli security council, makes clear that is not a deal with Hamas, and will not be a cease-fire.

Israel is not holding any negotiations with Hamas or any other terror organization with the goal of reaching understandings or an arrangement with it relating to a cease-fire.

A Change in Dealings with Hamas

With the end of the Bush administration some countries are signaling that they may end the complete embargo on talking to Hamas members. The Independent reported today that:

European nations have opened a direct dialogue with Hamas as the US intensifies the search for Middle East peace under Barack Obama.

In the first meeting of its kind, two French senators travelled to Damascus two weeks ago to meet the leader of the Palestinian Islamist faction, Khaled Meshal, The Independent has learned. Two British MPs met three weeks ago in Beirut with the Hamas representative in Lebanon, Usamah Hamdan. "Far more people are talking to Hamas than anyone might think," said a senior European diplomat. "It is the beginning of something new - although we are not negotiating."