On Tuesday Israel quickly accepted a CEASEFIRE brokered by President SIsi of Egypt, and announced through the New Media. Hamas instantly rejected it and continued to fire rockets into Israel. Netanyahu observed the ceasefire for all of six hours before he resumed hostility with a promise that Israel will intensify the bombing – claiming the world can see that Hamas doesn’t want peace. So, why would Hamas reject a ceasefire that is acceptable to Israel and the Palestinian Authority, endorsed by Egypt and Saudi Arabia and tacitly supported by John Kerry - a ceasefire that could save the lives of its people and prevent further destruction of properties and infrastructures? And why did Israel accept a ceasefire that was announced through the News Media and not by the representatives of parties to the conflict? In this type of conflict there are two kinds of ceasefires: Unilateral Ceasefire – a voluntary cessation of hostility without preconditions by one party to the conflict. Negotiated Ceasefire – a cessation of hostility brokered between the warring parties, either by direct negotiations between the two sides in the conflict or through a third party or parties. However, the most important part of any ceasefire is the TEXT: the language and terms of the agreement - this is always provided and approved by the warring parties. Hamas says it rejected the ceasefire because; 1) It was not consulted either by Egypt or Israel prior to the announcement. 2) It was not privy to the negotiations nor was it consulted about the text of the agreement. 3) It was not prepared to accept a ceasefire that does not address the basic reasons for the conflict. 4) It was not prepared to accept a ceasefire with a text that only guaranteed a lull in hostility but does not address the security needs of the people of Gaza. 5) It cannot accept a ceasefire that was announced through the media. Hamas insists it is willing to agree to a ceasefire provided it starts with a return to Status Quo Ante. That Israel should respect the 2012 ceasefire it violated, that it respects the ‘Release of Prisoner’ agreement it reneged upon by re-arresting released prisoners, who had nothing to do with the kidnap and murder of the three Israeli teenagers. That Israel must lift the SEVEN YEARS SEIGE of the territory and open all the CROSSINGS. These are the conditions Hamas says would be the basis for an enduring ceasefire, anything short of these, it says would only lead to another war in a couple of years. And why did Fatah and the Palestinian Authority accept the ceasefire? That was quite odd considering Fatah and the PA only control the West Bank and their authority does not extend to the Gaza Strip. Moreover, the Palestinian Authority was not directly consulted on the text of the agreement but informed of the agreement after the fact. The only logical conclusion would be that there was collusion between Israel, Egypt and Fatah to take advantage of the situation to undermine Hamas, and allow Israel to destroy it. It’s no secret that President Sisi is against Hamas because he sees it is as an extension of the Muslim Brotherhood; that Israel is against the newly formed ‘unity government’ between Fatah and Hamas and would like to see it collapse; and that Fatah would love to once again be the sole representative of the Palestinian people. Perhaps the faux ceasefire was a choreographed attempt to SET-UP Hamas. Israel accepted the ceasefire and played along with the charade for these reasons; 1) it wanted to regain the Public Relation upper hand which it has started to lose due to the increasing number of Palestinian deaths and the unfolding indiscriminate nature of the bombing of Gaza – by accepting the ceasefire, Israel appears restrained and Hamas intransigent; 2) Israel wants to invade Gaza to destroy Hamas military capabilities, missiles and leaders - it needs a pretence that will not draw international criticism of its actions – Hamas rejection of the ceasefire provides such cover; 3) Israel has not hidden its disdain for the “Unity Government” deal between Hamas and Fatah – it would like to break it because a united Palestinian Leadership destroys Israel’s excuse of having no partner to negotiate with. What’s however undeniable is that Hamas presently has few friends in the region, not because of anything it has or hasn’t done, but due to the current political and geo-political landscape of the region. There is a struggle for political power and influence to determine the prevailing brand of Sunni Islam in the region between Turkey and Qatar (progressives) on one side and Egypt and Saudi Arabia (Conservatives) on the other, with Israel playing a supporting role on the side of the conservatives. The Turks and Qataris support the Muslim Brotherhood and its Islamic democracy. The Saudis prefer the more conservative Wahabi form of Islam. Believe or not, the Muslim Brotherhood is not the most radical Islamist group that honour goes to the Wahabists. The current Egyptian and Israeli governments would also like to keep the older order for they prefer ‘Stability’ to ‘Chaotic Democracy’. Israel prefers the Egyptian Military in power in whatever guise as it guarantees Egypt’s adherence to the lopsided Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty that favours it. The Egyptian Military is happy because it retains power, protects its 40% control of the Egyptian economy and ensures the flow of American Military and Economic Aids. In this convoluted and self preserving environment the plights of Hamas and Palestinians inside Gaza appear to be an inconvenience to many Arab States. It leaves Iran as the only country in the region that is openly and fervently committed to Hamas and the Palestinian cause - others like Iraq and Syria are mired in their own internal conflicts. It is unfortunate that it takes a Persian Shiite Muslim nation to offer Sunni Arabs in the Gaza Strip, hope. This is a region where self preservation trumps brotherly love.
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 20:08:11 +0000
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