As I type this it is still unconfirmed, but if the rumours are true about Israel and Hamas then hostilities are halting: not exactly peace, but at least cease in our time.
Apparently there’s a three-phase plan, as laid out by the BBC:
Reports say 33 of the hostages held by Hamas will be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails during the first six weeks of the ceasefire.
Negotiations for the second phase – which should see the remaining hostages released, a full Israeli troop withdrawal and a “sustainable calm” – would start after two weeks.
The third and final stage would involve the reconstruction of Gaza – something which could take years – and the return of any remaining hostages’ bodies.
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This represents a huge victory for Hamas, as discussed in This Site’s previous article on the matter:
It seems possible that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been presented with a fait accompli. Hamas operatives have been cropping up in north Gaza – a place Israel has been trying to ethnically cleanse for months – to fire missiles Israel didn’t know they had into Israeli territory, past the so-called “Iron Dome” defence screen that was supposed to have been created specifically to shoot down these weapons.
Israel’s policy of indiscriminately murdering Gazan men, women and children seems to have backfired badly, creating a huge recruitment pool for Hamas.
And now Hamas has called for a ceasefire, putting to the side all the sticking-points that Israel has previously said meant it couldn’t happen.
So not only had Hamas survived, but it had dealt the Israeli government an offer it could not, apparently, refuse. Huge victory – acknowledged by US Secretary of State Blinken, it seems. You can find out all about that in this clip from Owen Jones:
So for the Israeli government, this all looks really bad. The reason put forward for the wholesale destruction of Gaza and the slaughter of the men, women and children there who had nothing to do with Hamas was the eradication of the terrorist organisation; with that organisation flourishing instead, Israel is left having slaughtered or seriously injured hundreds of thousands of innocent people.
You can probably tell what I’m leading up to:
Don’t be surprised if this doesn’t last and the reason is an Israeli excuse to make Hamas look bad.
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CEASE IN OUR TIME: but will the peace hold?
As I type this it is still unconfirmed, but if the rumours are true about Israel and Hamas then hostilities are halting: not exactly peace, but at least cease in our time.
Apparently there’s a three-phase plan, as laid out by the BBC:
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
This represents a huge victory for Hamas, as discussed in This Site’s previous article on the matter:
So not only had Hamas survived, but it had dealt the Israeli government an offer it could not, apparently, refuse. Huge victory – acknowledged by US Secretary of State Blinken, it seems. You can find out all about that in this clip from Owen Jones:
So for the Israeli government, this all looks really bad. The reason put forward for the wholesale destruction of Gaza and the slaughter of the men, women and children there who had nothing to do with Hamas was the eradication of the terrorist organisation; with that organisation flourishing instead, Israel is left having slaughtered or seriously injured hundreds of thousands of innocent people.
You can probably tell what I’m leading up to:
Don’t be surprised if this doesn’t last and the reason is an Israeli excuse to make Hamas look bad.
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Be among the first to know what’s going on! Here are the ways to manage it:
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (bottom right of the home page). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
5) Follow Vox Political writer Mike Sivier on BlueSky
6) Join the MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p-front/voxpolitical
7) Feel free to comment!
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
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