Fragile peace beckons

Due to the heightened excitement prior to the inauguration of US President Obama, an event of great significance occurred unmarked when Israel declared a truce on Sunday, and immediately started pulling out from Gaza.

In ordinary circumstances, this move would have been greatly applauded, for after an invasion in which at least 1,300 Gazans were killed and many cities flattened, there was great danger of the war escalating.

It is a pity, therefore, that even after Hamas did the right thing and declared their own truce, they followed this by gloating they had ‘‘won the war’’.

The Israelis have always insisted they want Hamas to fulfil three conditions: Recognise the right of Israel to exist, renounce violence, and accept the terms of the peace agreements already existing.

Palestinians, though not Hamas, want Israel to give up the land it expropriated after the 1967 war, to halt building new settlements in the West Bank, and to agree on the status of Jerusalem which both claim.

All these are vexed issues which will have to be settled sooner or later. But for the rest of the world, the most important step has already been taken: a ceasefire that will alleviate the suffering of Palestinians. The second step should be an immediate, massive infusion of humanitarian aid.

Then the two sides can sit down and talk. No amount of violence will ever solve the ever-lasting crisis in the Middle East.