Ceasefire - an important step towards ending the tragedy

The ceasefire agreement reached between Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert came into effect on Sunday. According to the ceasefire agreement, armed Palestinian organizations will cease to fire rockets into Israel while the Israeli army will stop all military action and withdraw their troops from the Gaza Strip. This is an important step towards ending several months of bloodshed and tragedy. The agreement was welcomed by various circles in Palestine and Israel as well as the international community.

On June 25, a faction of the radical Palestinian organization Hamas and two other armed groups attacked an Israeli sentry south of the Gaza Strip, killing two people and seizing a 19-year-old soldier. This was done in an attempt to pressure Israel into freeing Palestinian detainees in Israel. In response, Israel launched "Action Summer Rain". On July 12, supporting the Hamas' struggle against Israel, rebel Lebanese group Hezbollah attacked Israel, killing 7 Israeli soldiers and kidnapping two others. This provoked Israel into launching a full scale military attack on Lebanon. When the Lebanese-Israeli war ceased, Israel returned its energy to the conflict with the Palestinians.

On November 1, as "Action Summer Rain" came to an end, the Israeli army launched "Operation Autumn Clouds". The Israeli army again attacked the Palestinians to prevent them from launching rockets.

During Israel's six-day "Operation Autumn Clouds" in northern Gaza, more than 85 Palestinians were killed along the Gaza Strip, sparking angry resistance from Palestinian militant groups. Although Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on Palestinian factions to refrain from firing rockets at Israel, the number of attacks actually increased.

On November 12, foreign ministers from 22 of the Arab League nations held an emergency meeting in Cairo to denounce Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and military action against civilians. It called for all parties to participate in a peace conference to resolve the Palestinian and Israeli conflict.

On November 15, representatives from the United Nations, the European Union, Russia and the US met in Cairo to promote the establishment of a Palestinian national coalition government and restart the Palestinian and Israeli peace process. On the November 17, the 61st UN General Assembly held an emergency meeting to pass a resolution demanding that Israel withdraw its troops from the Gaza Strip and that it immediately cease military action in occupied territory.

The Palestinian-Israeli conflict has taken a major toll on both sides. Security in Israel is increasingly tight and economic and social development has been affected. Prime Minister Olmert's ability to rule has been questioned. The conflict has had a negative impact on the Middle East situation. Waves of anti-Israel sentiment have passed through, one after the other. Arab-Israeli relations have become tense and this poses a threat to peace and stability in the whole region. Palestinian and Israeli leaders are recognizing the damage and are now determined to end the tragedy. The ceasefire is a positive step towards that.

However, trust between Palestine and Israel has been destroyed. Just two hours after the ceasefire came into effect, Palestinian rebels fired rockets into Israel ¨C no-one was injured and no property was damaged.

Following this development, Prime Minister Olmert asked for patience from the Israelis in order to have a chance at peace, and expressed his hope that the ceasefire agreement might become a basis for bilateral talks. Abbas also ordered his security officials to abide by the ceasefire agreement.

The ceasefire must pass the test of time and both sides need to make a greater effort to end the conflict and resume peace talks.

By People's Daily Online