It was the night before Christmas in 1914 when British soldiers fighting along the Western Front heard holiday carols coming from the German trenches.
“The following day, British and German soldiers met in no man’s land and exchanged gifts, took photographs and some played impromptu games of football,” according to the UK’s Imperial War Museum.
“They also buried casualties and repaired trenches and dugouts.” The truce lasted for only a few days — at most, a little past the start of the new year. And then it was back to war — a conflict in which some 8.5 million soldiers from all sides would ultimately die.
The timing of the Israel-Hamas truce that took effect Friday had nothing to do with a holiday. And the agreement to pause fighting for four days and exchange hostages and prisoners was negotiated over several weeks with the help of Egypt, Qatar and the US, rather than an impromptu occurrence. Hostages released by Hamas and prisoners freed by Israel joyously hugged their fathers, mothers and siblings, seven weeks after the terror attack on October 7 prompted the war.
By striking the deal, the two sides stirred hope for an eventual end to the bloodshed: the ceasefire can be extended if Hamas frees more of the people it is holding. But there is also the possibility that this truce won’t last much longer than the one in 1914.
“The deal arguably strengthens Hamas, allowing it to claim credit, catch its breath and regroup,” wrote Frida Ghitis. “Whatever Palestinians feel toward the organization that unleashed this round of fighting — and we will not hear many in Gaza now openly criticize Hamas — there’s little question that as long as this group remains in power, the future looks bleak for Gazans.”
“For Israel this deal is bitingly bittersweet. Negotiating with a terrorist organization that has just slaughtered and brutalized more than 1,000 of the country’s citizens and remains committed to Israel’s destruction —repeatedly confirming that goal — is not only hard to swallow, it’s a moral and strategic dilemma of the highest order.”
Two clocks
Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East negotiator who served in both Democratic and Republican administrations, observed, “There is little doubt that Israel and the US are operating according to two very different timetables. And these two clocks appear increasingly out of sync. Israel — committed to the destruction of Hamas’ military capacity and the end of its ability to govern in Gaza — appears to be in no hurry to declare mission accomplished…”
“It’s apparent that the US clock is ticking much faster, a direct result of growing pressure from its European allies, key Arab partners and a deeply divided Democratic Party … Even within the Department of State and among congressional staff, there has been opposition to the administration’s passivity in the face of Palestinian loss of life that’s unprecedented in recent decades. Indeed, (President Joe) Biden himself almost certainly has come to understand that, as greatly as he’s concerned about Israel, the devastation and death in Gaza demands attention for Palestinians, too.”
Biden’s “democracy vs. autocracy” foreign policy is a mistake that weakens the US while failing to promote global stability, argued Christopher McCallion, a fellow at the Defense Priorities think tank.
“America currently finds itself embroiled in three major geopolitical crises … US forces are still on hand in the Middle East to deter Iran and Hezbollah from intervening against Israel in its war with Hamas, putting American troops at risk and threatening to pull the US into another major war in the region.
American troops have already been targeted by dozens of drone and missile attacks from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, and have conducted retaliatory strikes in response.
In Eastern Europe, the US is essentially engaged in a proxy war with Russia over the latter’s invasion of Ukraine. In East Asia, the US risks a catastrophic showdown with China over the political status of Taiwan.”
Sheryl Sandberg wrote of the worldwide impact of the Israel-Hamas war. “People across the globe are protesting on all sides and shouting in the streets. But for one moment, I urge us to shift our focus from politics to humanity. … there is one opinion that everyone can agree on: Rape should never be used as an act of war.”
“On October 7, Hamas terrorists committed unspeakable atrocities that we must speak about — and speak about loudly. Numerous witnesses have testified that sexual violence was widespread on that day, according to reports by Israeli investigators….
“We have come so far in believing survivors of rape and assault in so many situations, yet this time, many are ignoring the stories that these bodies tell us about how these women spent the last moments of their lives.”
“The silence on these war crimes is deafening.”
Source: CNN
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect The Chronicle’s stance.
