Gaza is little more than a wasteland of concrete rubble now. Who is going to fix it and where is the redevelopment plan? Besides, even before this most recent "war" broke out, living in Gaza was like being incarcerated in a giant coastal prison. Such a situation could never be sustained in the long run but for years it provided perfect growing conditions for Hamas. There has to be a better way.
Today is a good day in that all living Israeli hostages have been freed and some dead hostages are being prepared for dignified transfer to their families. Numerous Palestinian hostages are also being released but not all the many thousands who were imprisoned without trial or legitimate evidence. Their stories have not really been told.
Of course, The President of the USA has capable lieutenants on the ground - middle eastern deal brokers like his real estate investor son-in-law Jared Kushner and his hand-picked special envoy - the real estate developer Steve Witkoff. With their team, these untrained diplomats have surely been charged with forging an agreeable way forward that will lead to Palestinian statehood and the quelling of the most bellicose Israeli voices.
Past history seems to militate against optimism but you never know. After all, on a much smaller scale, peace broke out in Northern Ireland at the end of the last century and that seems to be holding. Can a similar miracle occur in The Holy Land? Time will tell. Today is merely a beginning, a foreword - with all of the main chapters of the weighty tome to follow.
from Yorkshire Pudding https://ift.tt/VgXvlin