Israel and Palestine agree to a ceasefire
Global Politics
Israel and Hamas finally agreed to a ceasefire that came into effect at 2 AM local time on Friday, May 21 after 11 days of relentless violent clashes between the age-old adversaries. This ‘war’ has claimed the lives of at least 230 Palestinians and 12 Israelis.
You can check out our IGTV and the post on the history and recent developments of these clashes.
What is a ceasefire anyway?
A ceasefire is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions.
Is this ceasefire a sustainable solution?
This truce was mediated by Egypt and unanimously approved by the Israeli cabinet. Two Egyptian delegations have reached Tel Aviv & Palestinian territories to ensure the deal’s implementation.
Historically, such truces & ceasefires have proved fragile. While the ceasefire provides much-needed relief, it doesn’t come with any conclusive solutions to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
International pressure
This ceasefire has come on the back of intense international pressure. The UN Security Council has met several times already on the Israel-Gaza conflict.
The US, Israel’s strongest supporter, has been criticized for blocking at least four UNSC attempts to issue a press statement to end the violence. The reason cited by the US was that this could have interfered with the Biden administration’s efforts to de-escalate the hostilities.
Victory claims
Both sides are claiming ‘victory’ in the aftermath.
The Israeli military claimed that they have inflicted unprecedented, heavy damage on Hamas (the militant group ruling in Gaza) even while PM Netanyahu faces criticism from the Israeli right-wing base on accepting the truce too soon.
Meanwhile, Hamas claimed that the Israeli military has agreed to retract from Al-Aqsa Mosque and Sheikh Jarrah which was their paramount requirement.
Truce put to early test
Thousands of Palestinians took to the streets to celebrate. They gathered at Damascus Gate & Al-Aqsa Mosque for weekly prayers, both of which were locations of the original clashes that ultimately led to the war.
Celebratory protests could spark confrontations again, setting in motion another cycle of escalations especially since both sides have already issued veiled threats that the attacks could be resumed in the face of provocation.
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