A ceasefire has begun in the Gaza Strip after several days of fierce fighting between the two main Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah that left 34 people dead.
Hey, things are looking good in Gaza but wait a sec. somebody just forgot to tell the masked gunmen that it was time to stop slaughtering each other. Even after the truce was signed, gunfire could still be heard near Abbas’ offices in Gaza City, witnesses said. Other bystanders reported a major gun battle near Fatah official Mohammed Dahlan’s house in Gaza. Also, minutes after the cease-fire deal was announced, word came that a Palestinian Authority security officer abducted earlier in the day had been executed. I guess they’ll stop as soon as they find out.
However, not to forget, the wheels are spinning beneath the battered chassis of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but the brakes are being applied by that usual returning opponent of Mid East progress- ‘distrust.’ The leadership keeps promising things and failing to deliver. As Israeli and Palestinian officials try to hammer out a plan to test Palestinian security, voices on each side accuse the other of tricks.
While enticing the Israelis and Palestinians towards peace, the Bush administration as usual is also trying to help Abbas sideline Hamas, the Iran-backed Islamic movement that controls the Palestinian Authority government, resists peace proposals to Israel and is branded by the US and Israel as a terrorist group. However, they must want the ceasefire to work in the right direction this time instead of running around like an angry mob of Huns.
Via: BBC
