After 15 months of death and destruction, the Israel–Hamas ceasefire finally took effect on the morning of Sunday, January 19th. There were some delays and uncertainty at first, but the ceasefire, which consists of a three-phase deal between the government of Israel and Hamas, is now in place.
The first phase of the ceasefire agreement has already begun, with the release of some Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by the Israelis.
The news was welcomed and cheered by Palestinians, after facing an onslaught at the hands of Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government, following the Hamas-led attack on October 7th, which killed more than 1,100 Israelis. According to the Gaza health ministry, at least 47,035 Palestinians have been killed and 111,091 injured since 7th October 2023.
Recent developments bring relief for the Palestinians, who can finally have some respite after a long and tiresome 15 months of bombardment. But thousands have been left displaced, and many are returning to rubble and debris. Schools and hospitals have been destroyed, and bodies remain trapped under collapsed buildings. This level of destruction will be years of reconstruction and rebuilding.
And let us not forget the psychological trauma that will impact those affected by the war, young, innocent children who witnessed the brutal death of loved ones. The ceasefire may provide them with much-needed relief, but the pain and suffering that they have experienced shall remain etched in their memories.
Sadly, it took more than a year to get to this point. And both present and former American administrations are taking credit for the significant breakthrough. It is, however, quite brazen of Joe Biden to take credit for anything. The Biden administration not only gave the Israeli government full support to demolish Gaza, but it was also an active participant.
Biden and his Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, could have leveraged their position to bring an end to the war, much earlier, but they chose not to. Their complicity as well as their lack of desire to use American influence to halt the bombings deeply angered people all over the globe. Never has the world in recent history witnessed such moral outrage.
People from all walks of life, belonging to different faiths and cultures, took to the streets and students on college campuses protested against a genocide that was unfolding in front of their very eyes. Many of those protestors have been people belonging to the Jewish faith, who are not only fierce critics of the Israeli government but have also advocated for the rights of the Palestinians. Everything that has happened in the past 15 months is a moral stain on everyone involved and those who enabled it. People will not allow Biden to whitewash his complicity by taking any credit for the ceasefire.
While Trump may not be an advocate for the Palestinian cause and is most likely motivated by personal glory, the consensus is that this breakthrough can be attributed to the new president and his envoy. And by accepting the terms of the deal, Joe Biden has been humiliated by Netanyahu, and Donald Trump has been made to look assertive.
But before we hail Trump as a peacemaker, we should remember that his biggest donor, billionaire Miriam Adelson, has sought Trump’s support for the annexation of the West Bank. Also, Trump has issued an executive order to lift settler sanctions that were put in place by the previous administration, a move that has been welcomed by the Israeli government.
And on day one of his second innings as President, Trump told reporters that he was “not confident” on whether the ceasefire would hold. His policy is filled with contradictions, which is very much a reflection of Trump’s politics in general.
Trump may have been able to convince Benjamin Netanyahu to sign the agreement, but the Israeli Prime Minister has already made it clear that he will restart the war if necessary, and that both Biden and Trump backed Israel’s “right to resume fighting if the second stage is fruitless.”
This is a clear indication that the deal is fragile, and Palestinian relief could well be temporary. This stance, however, is very much expected by Netanyahu, who knows that war is beneficial to his political future. With mounting corruption against him, Benjamin Netanyahu’s political survival is based on conflict.
And now a wanted man by the ICC (International Criminal Court) Netanyahu has no real incentive to stop the war permanently, so we will have to wait and see how this all plays out. The Israeli government may have America in its corner if it chooses to resume the war, but there is also an undeniable reality that Israel will face deeper global isolation.
Even though the United States has taken a harsh position against the ICC and Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan to protect the Israeli government, some nations will comply with the ICC ruling, restricting Netanyahu’s movement abroad.
Netanyahu is facing troubles at home as well, following the resignation of his far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. The decision to approve the ceasefire agreement has met with opposition from Netanyahu’s coalition partners, and Gvir’s stance on the deal is keeping in line with his ultra-nationalist politics, which has described the deal as an Israeli “surrender.”
Although Ben Gvir has said he will not try to bring down Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, losing coalition partners could lead to bigger problems for him later. And with a weakened government and corruption charges, there is every possibility that Netanyahu sabotages the agreement after the first phase, to keep the war going.
This has always been Netanyahu’s style of politics. He has previously been accused by the families of some of the hostages for deliberately opposing any sort of deal so that he could keep his coalition government intact. Netanyahu is desperate to cling to power. There is no guarantee that he will not throw a spanner in the works to scupper any chance for peace.
But even if all the phases are followed through in this agreement, it will not lead to sustainable peace and stability because the root cause is not being addressed. To stop this vicious cycle of death and destruction, the occupation must come to an end. And with an Israeli government that has exploited its people, just so that it can bomb innocent civilians and remain in power, hope for everlasting peace is dwindling.
