Gaza is little more than a wasteland of concrete rubble now. Who is going to fix it and where is the redevelopment plan? Besides, even before this most recent "war" broke out, living in Gaza was like being incarcerated in a giant coastal prison. Such a situation could never be sustained in the long run but for years it provided perfect growing conditions for Hamas. There has to be a better way.
Today is a good day in that all living Israeli hostages have been freed and some dead hostages are being prepared for dignified transfer to their families. Numerous Palestinian hostages are also being released but not all the many thousands who were imprisoned without trial or legitimate evidence. Their stories have not really been told.
Of course, The President of the USA has capable lieutenants on the ground - middle eastern deal brokers like his real estate investor son-in-law Jared Kushner and his hand-picked special envoy - the real estate developer Steve Witkoff. With their team, these untrained diplomats have surely been charged with forging an agreeable way forward that will lead to Palestinian statehood and the quelling of the most bellicose Israeli voices.
Past history seems to militate against optimism but you never know. After all, on a much smaller scale, peace broke out in Northern Ireland at the end of the last century and that seems to be holding. Can a similar miracle occur in The Holy Land? Time will tell. Today is merely a beginning, a foreword - with all of the main chapters of the weighty tome to follow.
At first I read your title as 'pacemaker'! It was lovely to see all the celebrations and jubilations on the news today but part of me feels but it's not a done deal yet. There is still a mountain of things to sort out and so much could go wrong. I hope the peace holds but the cynical part of me thinks it won't. Meanwhile Trump is celebrated as the second Messiah. Can his ego get any bigger?
ReplyDeleteYou mean... as in Gerry and The Pacemakers? The cynical part of you may prove to be spot on.
DeleteIt wasn't done in the name of peace it was done so he could build a resort!
ReplyDeleteI must admit that Trump and Peacemaker are not words that sit well together- in spite of all the brouhaha.
DeleteThis is a mixed bag. If this deal falls apart, what is Trump likely to do.? The past has a long history of violence. One side has been getting the worst of the deal while the other side seems to think they are getting the worst deal . I hope this one works out.
ReplyDeleteWell, it's only a ceasefire so far, but I do hope that peace breaks out. And I hope that the people of Palestine are allowed to rebuild their homes in peace, from both Hamas and the IDF.
ReplyDeleteI was at Red's blog and saw your post on his sidebar and had to stop by to see what you wrote. Well... I do agree with EVERYTHING you said. I hope there'll be peace. I'm skeptical, but I can only hope.
ReplyDeleteHe may have done it and that's a good thing, or perhaps a GOOD THING, but I still don't like him.
ReplyDeleteUnsurprisingly, what you so fittingly call a foreword has been the main news on German TV yesterday, too. It was touching to catch glimpses of freed hostages being reunited with their loved ones, but the cynical in me is just waiting for the film/book/Netflix series "738 Days" to appear.
ReplyDeleteNonetheless, I fully agree with your last sentence in the post.
Only time will tell, and I'm afraid I'm cynical too about long term peace. No doubt there will be arguments about the name of the resort, the sea and anything else within a few hundred kilometres!
ReplyDeleteI would never, ever bow to Trump for anything. He does nothing unless it benefits him personally or financially. What a world we're living in, where Trump is being celebrated. Biden had a peace deal in place, but then Netanyahu and Trump met in Mar-a-Lago and decided that keeping the war going would benefit them both. Ten months later, they’re signing the exact deal Biden brokered. Biden got 140 hostages released; no coverage, b/c it was never about him. Biden put out a statement today praising the process, which Trump would never due b/c he doesn’t have a gracious bone in his body.
ReplyDeleteYes. Bullies can be effective. There is good in everyone somewhere.
ReplyDeleteIt’s not a peace treaty it is a cease fire.
ReplyDeleteThere is no plan, just a destination. The The Trump Declaration for Enduring Peace and Prosperity is, in the words of Jeremy Bowen almost complexity devoid of detail.
Let’s not be negative but there is a long way to go
From the Grauniad
ReplyDeleteIsrael’s military said it opened fire on people who it says approached Israeli forces operating in the northern Gaza Strip.
The military said the people in question had crossed a boundary for an initial Israeli pullback under the US-brokered ceasefire plan, in a violation of the deal.
Gaza’s local health authority said the Israeli military killed six Palestinians in two separate incidents across the territory on Tuesday. Details are still emerging so we will bring you the latest as we get it. We have not yet been able to independently verify any of the above information.
As much as I don't want to support Trump as I believe he has not done this to benefit the Palestinians or Israelis, this is for Trump. He's desperate for a legacy and the nobel peace prize would do nicely. Its still too fragile and early to celebrate just yet in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteHe and Jared Kushner are in it to make money but at least the hostages and prisoners are benefiting right now. I hope there will be peace.
ReplyDeleteOuch!!! That must have hurt. Don't be fooled, it's all a con. No real solution, just the conclusion (if the ceasefire holds) of the latest round of resistance and then "mowing the lawn."
ReplyDeleteI'm certainly not bowing to Trump -- it takes more than a single man to create peace -- but I'm glad the hostages have finally been released. Kushner et al are in it to make a buck.
ReplyDelete