Can you spot what’s missing from Elham Fakhro’s article at Chatham House supporting an Israeli ceasefire in the conflict in Gaza in response to Hamas’s terrorist attack:
The Middle East is stumbling further into an abyss, from which there will be no clear exit. Although there remains a litany of measures needed to restore long-term stability, including ending Israel’s occupation over the Palestinians, a ceasefire represents the most immediate option to bring the region back from the brink.
President Biden should lend all his efforts towards supporting this measure.
I’ve read it twice now. Perhaps I’ve just missed it. I saw no demand for a ceasefire by Hamas or, indeed, any acknowledgement that Israel has not just a right but a responsibility to protect its civilian population.
I completely agree with her statement of the risks that the conflict is producing. Those include the risks to civilians in Gaza and the risk of a regional conflict. Given the risks wouldn’t you think that a deputation of Gulf countries might consider convincing Hamas to stop attacking Israel if not to surrender outright? The Hezbollah and Hamas rocket attacks on Israel are ongoing.
