Following two years of mass killings by Israel in one of the most ruthless military campaigns in recent history, the Gaza ceasefire agreed in October was an undoubtedly welcome step.
But even if it holds, the root causes of the problem need to be addressed in order to achieve a just and lasting peace. Otherwise, renewed bloodshed and suffering in the region are inevitable.
Notably, the current ceasefire is US president Donald Trump’s personal project, rather than the continuation of decades of international efforts to solve the Israel-Palestine problem. It does not contain the necessary references to United Nations Security Council Resolutions that refer to a two-state solution with pre-1967 borders and East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian State.
Presenting the current peace deal as a “new beginning” thus risks creating the illusion of a solution. While a new UN Security Council Resolution (2803) has legitimised the Trump plan, its references to rightful…