GAZA, Feb. 8 (Xinhuanet,by Saud Abu Ramadan ) -- Cold, cloudy and rainy, the Gaza Strip was shrouded Tuesday in the bitter winter, but hopes were seen in the eyes of Na'el Hassaan, a 35-year-old taxi-driver.

    Meanwhile, sunlight showered the understated Golf Moevenpick Hotel at Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh where a landmarkArab-Israeli summit brought together Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah.

    "Today's summit reminds me of the nice days of the past summits and ceremonies of signing agreements with Israel," said Hassaan, who works 16 hours per day struggling to feed his wife and five children.

    "But ceremonies are not the point; the most important thing is commitment to implementing what they have agreed upon," he added.

    Considered a ground-breaking step toward the resumption of peacetalks, Abbas and Sharon formally announced a mutual ceasefire at the summit after more than four years of strife.

    Although no obvious celebrations were seen in the Gaza Strip, expectations were running high among the Palestinians that the fourleaders attending the meeting would hammer out an end to their sufferings.

    "It could be the bad weather that withheld people here in Gaza from celebrating, but I can say that expectations and hopes are riding high here, and people are waiting to see good actions on theground," said Salem Helles, a Palestinian student in Gaza.

    "We are fed up of hearing good and then bad news over the past few years, and it is time for real positive actions and an end to the Israeli occupation," he added.

    His sentiment was echoed by Hassaan who also said the Palestinians had "a terrible experience with Israel over the past ten years."

    "But it is nice to see Israel is stopping its attacks on the Palestinians this time", said Hassan.

    Trying to make ends meet, the middle-aged taxi-driver scoured the main streets in Gaza every day, picking up passengers who usually give him one Israeli New Shekel for a trip, which is less than a quarter of a US dollar.

    "Life has been extremely hard over the past ten years. We just hear promises but get nothing tangible. I have been working as a diver for ten years after quitting a well-paid job in Israel as a construction worker," Hassaan recalled.

    Several peace agreements had been reached between Israel and thePalestinians over the last twelve years, but none of them survived the vicious cycle of bloodshed or succeeded in pressing for a finalsettlement of the decades long conflict.

    Israel has accepted the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, but only under certain conditions. The Jewish state categorically rules out the possibility of allowing Palestinian refugees to return where is now Israel and vows to holdJerusalem as its "indivisible" capital.

    Looking to the immediate prospect in the wake of the ceasefire, Hassaan said the Palestinians are eager to see Israel open passagesand crossings between Gaza and Israel, remove all roadblocks in theWest Bank and give a free access to people and goods.

    The Palestinian economy has been paralyzed since the Intifada orarmed uprising against the Israeli occupation broke out in September 2000.

    Unemployment rate soared to about 60 percent in the Palestinian territories and the per capita income dropped by a third to a little more than 1,000 US dollars largely due to the Israeli restrictions over the free movement of people and goods.

    "When there is violence, there is no stability, and consequentlythere is poverty and deterioration of economy," said Salah Abdel Shafi, a Gaza-based Palestinian economist.

    He said Israel has imposed such restrictions purposely over the last four years "in order to keep the Palestinians in poor living conditions and drive them fumbling for food and jobs instead of struggling for independence."

    "Without a fair political solution to the major outstanding issues in the conflict, there will be no economic stability, not tomention prosperity," he concluded.

    Hassaan agreed to him, saying "Though Israel eases its clip of the Palestinian land, another big Intifada will be waiting for the Jewish state if it fails to offer the Palestinians a fair solution to the major issues." Enditem