Once again there are talks of a cease fire being put together for this afternoon.
Qatar has managed to wiggle its way in, because of their special relationship with Hamas.
US Secretary of State John Kerry is waiting to hear back from the Qatari and Turkish Foreign Ministers about Hamas’s Khaled Mashaal’s response to Kerry’s latest cease fire proposal.
The basics of the proposal have been reported as follows:
1. A one week cease fire, where the IDF will remain in Gaza and continue to destroy the Hamas terror tunnels.
2. Israel and Hamas will begin negotiations (!) over a permanent arrangement. The Palestinian Authority will participate in these talks.
3. The US, the UN and the EU will provide guarantees to both sides for their demands. For Israel – the dismantling of the Hamas rockets and tunnels. For Gaza – the end of the blockade.
If these reports on the conditions are correct, and Israel agrees to them, then Israel has essentially recognized Hamas, granting legitimacy to a terrorist organization as the political authority over Gaza, and it has agreed to negotiate with terrorists, instead of destroying them.
Not to worry, even if it accepts it, Hamas and Islamic Jihad are unlikely to be able to control themselves for an entire week.
The question is, will Israel choose to ignore Hamas breaches during the cease fire – and that answer is probably yes.
If Mashaal responds positively, the Israeli cabinet will vote on it this afternoon.