Palestinians, Israelis fear truce may not last

BEIT LAHIYA, Gaza (Reuters) - Forced to abandon his strawberry fields two years ago because of violence along the Israel-Gaza border, Palestinian Tawfiq Ghaben hopes an imminent truce could mean a return to working the land.

But he doubts it will last.

Like many Palestinians and Israelis living on the frontline of Israel's conflict with Hamas, Ghaben remains suspicious of his enemy and doubtful diplomacy can bridge major differences.

"This is a shaky calm ... impossible to work out," Ghaben, 40, said northern Gaza Strip. "Like every other time, Israel will violate the truce and come back to raid and kill."

Ghaben abandoned his once fertile fields near Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip two years ago after militants started firing rockets at Israel from close by. The fields have since been flattened by Israeli army bulldozers, which often clear land during raids into the Hamas-run enclave.

Israel confirmed on Wednesday it had accepted an Egyptian-brokered truce with Hamas, but has threatened military action if the ceasefire collapses and voiced skepticism all Palestinian militant groups will stick to the deal.

Core issues, such as the fate of a kidnapped soldier and the possible opening of a key border crossing, have yet to be resolved, deepening doubts.

"TRUST"

Farmers on the other side of the fence separating Israel and the Gaza Strip are also torn between hope that a truce will stop the Palestinian mortar bombs and rockets that regularly pound their land, and doubt it will last.

"For me the issue of trust between us and the Palestinians is a very big question -- it was broken many times in the last seven years," said David Bing at the Kfar Aza kibbutz, which lies on the border with Gaza and is often targeted by militants.

Previous truces between Israel and militant groups spearheaded by Hamas have collapsed amid mutual recrimination.

This time, the Jewish state is worried Hamas will use a ceasefire to stockpile weapons with help from its arch-foe Iran, and some Israeli officials expect the truce will be shortlived.

Israel and Hamas have agreed to delay decisions until after calm is restored on the prickly issues of the opening of a key crossing and the fate of a captive Israeli soldier.

Some Palestinians worried violence could flare once those issues are tackled.

"The devil is always in the details," said Gaza teacher Ahmed Abdallah. "I am afraid things will blow up in our faces once they start talking about the two key issues."

Palestinian sources said talks over the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt would run parallel to Egypt-mediated negotiations on a prisoner swap deal that could see the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and hundreds of Palestinians jailed in Israel.

Israel has linked any progress towards opening Rafah to progress on Shalit.

Gaza farmers hoped the truce would help ease an Israeli-led blockade that has paralyzed the economy, stopped them exporting their fruit and vegetables and prevented imports of chemicals and fuel needed to run an efficient business.

Farmer Abu Nidal said he had been forced to sell aubergines on the local market for much less than he would get from an international buyer.

Another key issue is Israeli skepticism over whether the Islamists have the clout and the will to persuade other militant groups to hold fire -- a key condition of the agreement. Hamas said it would not use force to impose the ceasefire.

Some militant groups, including Islamic Jihad, expressed reservations over the agreement because it did not include the Israeli-occupied West Bank or an immediate opening of Rafah.

But Hamas official Abu Zuhri said there was a "Palestinian national consensus" to back the deal and Islamic Jihad said it would not be the ones to disrupt it.

"We will not be an obstacle to calm and we will not foil it," said senior leader Nafez Azzam.

(Editing by Diana Abdallah)