Back in the day, when Arabs lived in tribes mostly in the desert and were nomads, oftentimes there would be a "blood rivalry" - someone in Tribe A might have killed someone in Tribe B, so Tribe B needed to get revenge. It was a bloody cycle of violence, and every once in a while they would have a "hudna". This hudna would be a break in the fighting while both camps re-grouped and got ready for the next round of fighting.
This may put some of the recent events in Israel in the Summer of 2003 in perspective.
In the western media (read: CNN) they have been throwing around the term "cease-fire". This is a translation of the Arabic hudna; but it hides the cultural connotations of a hudna and what it ultimately means, more fighting after it is over. The Arab terrorists used the three-month period to re-arm, and attacked the Israelis with yet another unfortunate pigua on September 9th at Cafe Hillel.
Sources:
- http://www.jrep.com/Columnists/Article-14.html
- http://38.144.96.23/tacitus/archives/000746.html
- http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/000147.html