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Peace? Nay, ceasefire!
By S Mukhtar. Dated: 8/1/2014 10:27:49 PM
"Uncle."
"Yes dear."
"War news latest, please?"
"Hell! More than 1087 people, civilians mostly, killed (till 28 July); over 5240 people injured (till 25 July); more than 167000 people displaced; numberless buildings completely pulverized; cars thrown up on top of buildings 50 metres high; facades of some blocks of flats completely ripped off; people mostly homeless foodless - dear, that now is Gaza! Opposite side, army death toll 48 soldiers besides 3 civilians; rockets flying and hitting; damage unsaid - that now is Israel!"
"Uncle, all this since this 8 July when the Israeli offensive began and no peace efforts?"
"No, no, peace efforts, late though, are now in good swing. And the tone seems set by the United States."
"Uncle, the United States is 'Israel's principal ally and international defender,' has provided her with $3.1 billion in military support in past 2014 months alone. And now what was the tone?"
"President Obama himself, speaking at the Iftar dinner in the White House, served every year to honour the estimated 2.6 million American Muslims, said: 'We've been very clear that Israel has the right to defend itself against what I consider to be inexcusable attacks from Hamas.'"
"Uncle, annual Iftar dinners OK; yet many Muslims there and outside must have been irked - they already are - only 65% of US Muslims (compared to 91% of Protestants and Jewish Americans) are registered to vote. Anyway this peace process…what exactly about?"
"Yes. The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, on the last Friday of Ramadan, called 'for an immediate, unconditional humanitarian pause in the fighting in Gaza and Israel. This pause would last through the Eid al-Fitr holiday period.' During the truce, diplomatic battles intensified in Paris and the French foreign minister Laurent Fabius - after meeting with the foreign ministers of the US, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Qatar, Turkey - said that 'All of us call on the parties to extend the humanitarian ceasefire that is currently underway' and further 'All of us want to obtain, as quickly as possible, a durable, negotiated ceasefire that responds both to Israeli needs in terms of security and to Palestinian needs in terms of the social-economic development (of Gaza) and access to the territory of Gaza.' And then above that all, the UN Security Council at an emergency meeting issued quite a strong Statement. The Statement urged Israel and Hamas 'to accept and fully implement the humanitarian cease-fire' and 'to engage in efforts to achieve a durable and fully respected cease-fire, based on the Egyptian initiative.' However, it was a Statement, not a Resolution, therefore not binding legally, and both Palestinians and Israelis criticized it.
"Uncle, but what exactly has been the warring parties demanding?"
"Israel demands any ceasefire must allow her military to carry on searching for and destroying Hamas' tunnels network that criss-cross the Gaza border. Hamas wants an end to an Israeli-Egyptian blockade of Gaza before agreeing to halt hostilities."
"Means Uncle, the 7 foreign ministers are, broadly speaking, working toward what Israel and Hamas reciprocally want. And the blessings must be there of those who really matter. So hope hostilities stop."
"That is what everybody craves for! Ah may that be!"
"But Great Uncle…"
"Yes dear."
"Looks it all ultimately will be a 'humanitarian pause' (Ban Ki-Moon), a 'humanitarian ceasefire' and 'durable, negotiated ceasefire' (Laurent Fabius) (supra), but Grand Uncle only a ceasefire and….Ceasefire is not Peace. Israel-Hamas ceasefires 2009 and 2012 are one proof. Peace comes with root problems resolved. Alas no initiative ever toward real Peace!"