The Dawning of an Egyptian Reality

A 6 month tenuous cease-fire has been declared in the Holy Land. Will the peace last?

The Dawning of an Egyptian Reality

Raz Elraz, for the first time, will be able to take his 14-month-old son to a playground in this rocket-scarred Israeli town. A few miles away in Gaza, Palestinian teenagers ride their bicycles, and Hamas guards play pingpong.

The six-month truce that took effect Thursday was welcomed by both sides, although the Palestinian economy is still being held in check by a closed border.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080619/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians

 

For the first period since November 2006, peace reigns in Palesrael.  On June 19, 2008 at 6 a.m., a truce brokered by Egypt’s intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman went into effect bringing a limited and tenuous peace to the Holy Land. 

 

The Gaza Strip's ruling Hamas militant group said Tuesday it has reached a cease-fire with Israel meant to halt a cycle of deadly Palestinian rocket attacks that rained hundreds of rockets on Israel in the past year and Israeli reprisals that have killed hundreds of Palestinians.

But the phased approach is prone to pitfalls, and past truces have quickly broken down. Israel cautiously promised a "new reality" if the rocket fire ends.

The announcement capped months of Egyptian-brokered negotiations that have been repeatedly marred by violence. The deal was first announced in Cairo by Egypt's state-run news agency and quickly confirmed by Hamas. However, Hamas said it would respond to any Israeli attacks.

Egypt's powerful intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman, has been meeting separately with Israeli and Hamas officials for months in hopes of brokering a truce.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080617/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians

 

Once the cycle of violence has been opened, it is difficult to close the pattern of reprisals even for a short period so that more involved diplomatic negotiations may be pursued.  But, Omar Suleiman has gone above and beyond the call of duty to bring a “new reality” to Palesrael, and for the time being, there does appear to be an overall decrease in the level of violence in the region.

 

The cease-fire is meant to end Palestinian rocket barrages and Israeli reprisals in Gaza that have killed more than 400 Palestinians — many of them civilians — and seven Israelis in fighting since the Islamic Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip a year ago.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080619/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians

 

This cease-fire is only the first proposed step in a complicated multi-faceted implementation program that appears to be in the works at this time.  Also being negotiated in the immediate future are the release of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier as well as the reopening of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.  Israel placed comprehensive restrictions upon the supply of goods into the Gaza Strip roughly one year ago after Hamas took over control of this occupied territory from Fatah forces, the Palestinian political party led by Mahmoud Abbas.

 

Much is at stake. If the truce fails, Israel has warned it will launch a large- scale invasion of Gaza, despite warnings of high casualties on both sides. That could prompt the moderate West Bank government of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to call off U.S.-backed peace talks with Israel.

While Abbas has little control over the daily life of the 1.4 million Palestinians in Gaza since Hamas overran the territory and ousted his security forces, he wants to strengthen his image in both territories as he tries to negotiate with Israel.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080619/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians

 

Despite the high stakes secret diplomatic negotiations being conducted in the background, the quality of life has increased dramatically following the truce, and violence is on the decline from both sides of the ongoing 61 year dispute.  While it is too early to claim a complete return to the status quo ante bellum, a certain return to normalcy is visible in the general population.

 

On the Israeli side of the Kissufim crossing, Israeli soldiers played soccer near their tanks. In the southern Gaza town of Rafah, grinning Hamas security men in camouflage uniforms played pingpong while their colleagues sat nearby, their guns resting on their laps.

Along Gaza's border fence with Israel, Palestinian teenagers celebrated the truce by riding bicycles in the area that just a day earlier was a combat zone. Palestinian children flew kites on the beach in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza Strip.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080619/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians

 

Despite the positive signs in the Holy Land, there is still considerable doubt as to the viability of this cease-fire on both sides of the proposed future borders.  Trust is a feeling that is built over years of successful give and take and the mutual satisfaction of desires, not overnight with the announcement of a new agreement, especially after such an extended period of war such as 61 years.  Sometimes, I wonder if Palesraeli children are born with assault rifles in their hands.

 

In Sderot, Elraz said he didn't trust the truce enough yet to let his son, Itai, play outside.

"It will take a very long time to persuade Sderot residents that there is calm," said Elraz, 30, from the bar of his pizza restaurant. "We need peace. As long as there is no peace, there is no quiet and there's still war."

Other Israelis were similarly skeptical.

"I give it a week at the most." said David Cohen, 38, as he sold cigarettes and soft drinks at his kiosk. "I pray that it will last longer, but I consider each day more a bonus."

Even so, Cohen said he hoped to take his children out for a bike ride on Saturday for the first time in years.

In Gaza, Palestinian Ahmad al-Smari also wasn't ready to be too hopeful.

"We want a real end to all violence, to feel like we are human, to sleep without fear and to farm without fear, to eat, drink, study, travel," said al-Smari, 38. "I don't think that Israel is ready to give that to us now."

In Paris, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said the truce might last only days or weeks. "It is a very fragile cease-fire, but we think that before we enter a major (military) operation, we should give it a chance," he said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080619/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians

 

Perhaps, the most vital issue that will affect the longevity of this cease-fire is the ability of the Israeli government to provide access to humanitarian aid through the Rafah border crossing.  The international boycott The Gaza Strip to weaken the hold of Hamas has created dire economic conditions in that particular occupied territory, and about 80 percent of its 1.4 million residents depend on food aid.  Hungry and desperate people make poor decisions, and this is probably one of the primary causes of Islamic extremism since 9/11, the failure of the international community to recognize the humanity of those upon whose lands they have unjustly infringed.

 

For many Palestinians, the key was opening the crossings. Israel's deputy defense minister said more trucks would bring vital supplies to Gaza starting Sunday, and a week later, building supplies would be let through.

"I don't want to have too much hope until I see something really coming through the crossing," Issa Ali, 55, said as he smoked a water pipe outside his idle cement block factory near the Karni crossing with Israel.

"Life has stopped in Gaza for the past year. ... Will Gaza rise again? I do not know. You can ask them," he said, pointing his finger to the Israeli side.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed hope the truce would "provide security and an easing of the humanitarian situation in Gaza and end rocket and mortar attacks against Israeli targets."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080619/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians

Israel's blockade was imposed in an effort to pressure Hamas to stop attacks from Iranian-backed militants, who have been bombarding southern Israel with rockets and mortars for seven years.

The rate of fire increased after Israel pulled its troops and settlers out of Gaza in 2005 and stepped up further last year after Hamas wrested power from forces loyal to moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose government controls the West Bank.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080619/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians_48

 

The early hours of the truce were anything but completely peaceful as were the days leading up to it, although they did seem to evidence a steady decline in the overall level of hostility between the parties to the agreement.  However, the parties finally seem to have broken the never-ending cycle of retribution for each other’s grievances that have made peace extremely difficult to find in the past. 

 

Palestinian rocket and mortar fire and Israeli air reprisals continued on Wednesday ahead of the Egyptian-brokered agreement meant to end the tit for tat violence.

Hamas, the Islamic militant group that has ruled Gaza for the past year, reported that the Israeli navy fired four shells into the waters off Gaza City after the truce began. But the shells fell about 500 yards from shore and there were no apparent targets in the area, witnesses reported, suggesting the shells might have been fired as part of a military drill. The military had no immediate comment.

Nearly two hours into the truce, there were no other reports of fire.

On Wednesday, the truce still seemed remote. The military said at least 40 rockets and 10 mortar shells exploded in Israel by nightfall, an especially high one-day total.

Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for much of the rocket fire, saying it was avenging Israeli airstrikes that killed 10 militants in the previous two days. Israel hit back with two more airstrikes, wounding two Palestinians, according to Hamas security officials.

Palestinians reported that a Hamas militant was killed in an Israeli airstrike in central Gaza shortly before the truce took hold. The military confirmed it attacked a rocket squad, but said it could not confirm an airstrike. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080619/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians_48

 

The terms of the temporary peace agreement are that it is expected to last 6 months and to include certain other concessions on both sides including the release of an Israeli soldier who has been held captive for roughly 2 years.

The Gaza deal, which took effect at 6 a.m., is supposed to last six months. According to its terms, militants will immediately halt their attacks on Israel, and Israel will cease its raids.

After three days, Israel is to ease its blockade of Gaza to allow the shipment of some supplies to resume. A week later Israel is to further ease restrictions at cargo crossings. In a final stage, the sides are supposed to talk about opening a major border passage between Gaza and Egypt and the release of an Israeli soldier Hamas has held for two years.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080619/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians_48

 

Fortunately, there are a number of very concerned negotiators on both sides of the truce who are dedicated to the effort to bring long-term solutions to the chronic problems of violence in the Holy Land.

 

"We in Hamas are committed to this calm and are interested in making it succeed," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said shortly before the truce went into effect. "The ball is now in Israel's court."

"I hope it will succeed. I believe there will be quiet in (Israel's) south," Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in a speech Wednesday to philanthropists. But he also said he instructed his military "to prepare for any operation, short or long, that might be necessary" if the truce breaks down.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080619/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians_48

 

My hopes, prayers, and appreciation are extended to all of those who have put forth their time and effort to help pave the way for a brighter future for all the citizens of Palesrael.

Reviews

[Gandré]

I have read your long text. I don't have an important opinion what should be done there how to make work a long lasting peaceful situation. Europeans and Americans are to blame for lots of misery in the world, they parted the world and didn't ask if those tribes with so different cultural background and religions will like each other actually they always hated each other and this is simply was not right, also we made lots of money (germany sold weapons there, in the 80ties mostly era franz josef strauss) with selling them weapons and Leos, many made money there on the back of wars and now it is so difficult to bring peace.

[Berserker[Diktator Von ..]

Wow...very informative..Thank you for the info..not everything written here I knew..Thanks a bunch...hopefully others may be informed as well..great job...=)

Love,
Berserk