French President Nicolas Sarkozy, left, gestures during a press conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, right, at Abbas' headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Monday, Jan. 5, 2009. Sarkozy is in the Middle East to meet with Israeli, Palestinian and other regional leaders in a push to end the fighting in Gaza. (AP Photo/Maya Hitij)From Yahoo News/AP:
JERUSALEM – The contours of a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas are emerging, with diplomacy focusing on international guarantees, including foreign border monitors to oversee any agreement.
Various truce ideas have been floated in recent days in a swirl of diplomacy in the Middle East and at the United Nations, most involving international monitors.
Israel has two key objectives — to prevent weapons smuggling from Egypt into Gaza, and to create enough deterrence to persuade Hamas to halt rocket attacks for good.
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