On Tuesday, July 15th, Canadians awoke to the news that Israel had agreed to a ceasefire negotiated by Egypt, but that Hamas had not. What Canadians were not told, however, was that Hamas had not even been consulted on the “agreement.” In fact, Hamas heard about the ceasefire proposal only through the media. Thus, the whole “ceasefire affair” of July 16th was theatre for the media. Israel knew that Hamas would not accept an agreement that they hadn’t even been consulted on. The “ceasefire” would be announced, Hamas’ rejection trumpeted, and Israel would have renewed “justification” to continue its bombardment of Gaza. Hamas has expressed interest in a ceasefire all along, and has publicized the conditions for one. They have requested a release of illegally detained prisoners, a lifting of Israel’s illegal blockade, and freer movement of goods and people into and out of Gaza, among other conditions. Even well prior to July 15th, Hamas has entertained discussions for a ceasefire. On July 4th, for example, Hamas announced it was ready to cease rocket fire in exchange for a cessation of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza. One may argue that a ceasefire need not have conditions, and Hamas could have accepted the ceasefire as a means of stopping the carnage. This is true. However, Hamas must grapple with the fact that, were they to sign an unconditional ceasefire, it would simply result in a return to an unacceptable status quo: a situation where 1.8 million Palestinians live under illegal blockade – an “open air prison” – in Gaza.
Posted on: Thu, 14 Aug 2014 22:32:23 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015