| Have Your Say: The War in Gaza |
|
|
|
 2008 closed with the launch of an Israeli incursion into Gaza, following Hamas’ announcement that it would not renew the cease-fire established last June. The immediate aim: to stop the escalating firing of rockets into Israel by Palestinian militants and to prevent the re-armament of Hamas.Both parties to the conflict emerged from the six-month truce pointing fingers at each other: Israel accused Hamas of using the period to secretly increase its weapon stockpile, highlighting the sustained rocket fire endured throughout the ceasefire; while Hamas claims that Israel broke the truce by failing to lift the blockade on the Gaza Strip, and thus jeopardising the well-being of approximately 1.4 million Palestinians. Yet the specific terms of the Egyptian-brokered deal were in fact never officially recorded. Sources estimate that at least 1,300 people were killed in Gaza during this offensive, in part due to the heavy strain that was put on the already very limited medical care available. Material destruction was also widespread, including homes, hospitals, schools, and even the Unrwa’s Gaza City headquarters – an attack that wiped out the relief agency’s store of humanitarian aid. In retaliation, Palestinian rockets and mortars continued to target Israeli border towns, many of which have suffered from such attacks over several years. International diplomatic negotiations commenced right away, with calls from the UN Security Council for an “immediate, durable and fully respected ceasefire”. Any agreement would have to be based on three core principles. Two are Israeli demands – namely, Hamas’ pledge to end its rocket fire into Israel, and the implementation of a method or barrier to prevent the smuggling of arms. The remaining, third condition is stipulated by Hamas: in addition to the full withdrawal of Israeli forces, it insists on a relaxation of the blockade on Gaza. Following intense negotiations in Egypt and Washington, Israel declared a ceasefire on 17 January, saying its strategic aims had been reached. Hamas, in turn, confirmed it would stop attacks to allow a full withdrawal of Israeli troops. As a fragile ceasefire continues to hold in Gaza, EuroMeSCo would like to open the floor to your comments and opinions on the current situation in the Middle East. The following web links may serve as a starting point for your contribution. We have sought to provide an overview of the main news sources in the Middle Eastern region and beyond, from the beginning of this offensive: "Al Quds Brigade: Urban Battle yet to Begin" - Abu Ahmed, the official media spokesman of the Al Quds Brigade, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, spoke exclusively to the Arabic international daily, Asharq Al-Awsat http://www.asharqalawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=1&id=15384 "Palestinians Contemplate New Leadership after War" - By Kifah Zaboun, in Asharq Al-Awsat http://www.asharqalawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=1&id=15362 "Hamas in Gaza and Damascus" - Opinion piece by Tariq Alhomayed, Editor-in-Chief of Asharq Al-Awsat http://www.asharqalawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=2&id=15373 "Report: Hamas ready to begin conditional Gaza truce on Saturday" - By Barak Ravid, in Haaretz http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1056134.html "Analysis: Would a weak Hamas or no Hamas be better in Gaza?" - By Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff, in Haaretz http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1056006.html "Gaza op may be squeezing Hamas, but it's destroying Israel's soul" - Commentary by Ari Shavit, in Haaretz http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1055968.html "All eyes on Rafah" - By Amira Howeidy, in Al-Ahram Weekly http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2009/929/eg12.htm "The blame game" - By Gamal Essam El-Din, in Al-Ahram Weekly http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2009/929/eg4.htm "Arabs fiddle and squabble, again, as Palestine bleeds and burns, again" - in The Daily Star http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&article_id=98993&categ_id=17 "Temptations and dangers for Israel of humiliating Hamas" - By Chris Otton, in The Jordan Times http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=13554 "Will Israel get away with murder?" - Opinion piece by Ahmad Y. Majdoubeh, in The Jordan Times http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=13531 "Eyewitness: Gaza's medical crisis" - Two doctors share their first-hand experience, in BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7830302.stm "Tense calm follows Gaza ceasefire" - in BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7836869.stm
|
||||
 |
 |
COPYRIGHT 2006 EuroMeSCo
All rights reserved
EuroMeSCo Secretariat,
Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI)
Via Angelo Brunetti, 9,
00186 Roma – Italy
T: (+39) 06 322 43 60
F: (+39) 06 322 43 63
E: iai@iai.it