Opinion | A Gaza cease-fire agreement appears within reach

[u/sar662]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/07/10/israel-hamas-gaza-ceasefire-agreement-within-reach/

It's not a done deal by any stretch of the imagination but I'm glad to see there is hope again.

The key things that have shifted seem to be * (So far unspecified) Arab states have agreed to back an interim government which is not Hamas, not israel, is not the Palestinian authority (but has ties to the PA) * Egypt saying they will work to block new smuggling tunnels between Egypt and Gaza. * Both sides agreed to a UN proposal that once a ceasefire begins it will continue indefinitely as long as both parties are engaged in further negotiation.

[u/noam99]

(So far unspecified) Arab states have agreed to back an interim government which is not Hamas, not israel, is not the Palestinian authority (but has ties to the PA)

Egypt saying they will work to block new smuggling tunnels between Egypt and Gaza.

This is a complete betrayal of the Palestinian resistance. Of course I hope for a ceasefire...but this sounds like a way for the US to install a proxy government in Gaza and weaken the resistance's ability to engage in future armed struggle—which will be necessary as long as there is colonial domination over Palestine. I'd find it agreeable if those were red lines for Hms.

[u/sar662 → u/noam99]

On the first point, would it matter who the states are the back this interim government? Regardless, I understand the issue you are raising.

On the second point, why do you feel this is a betrayal or a problem at all? All the legal goods, in and out, as well as any aid goes through the border crossings. The tunnels are only for illegal shit and are heavily used by Hamas for weapons. I am very happy for them to be shut down.

[u/noam99 → u/sar662]

If the US and Israel are angling to force their own puppet regime in Gaza, then I don't want Hamas's access to supplies and weapons to be blocked. Egypt should be a regional ally to the resistance, not facilitating an embargo that hampers its military abilities. History indicates that the best way to create enduring peace between rebel groups and governments/occupying powers is to legitimize the rebels politically within the government. This is how Colombian presidents Juan Manual Santos brokered a ceasefire with the FARC in 2016.

[u/sar662 → u/noam99]

If the government in Gaza is a political legitimate entity, they can bring their weapons in over the border with Egypt like normal countries do. I want a normal Palestinian government and they can have a military and an army. I don't want Hamas to have weapons. Please God Hamas will shrivel up and die.

[u/noam99 → u/sar662]

Countless Palestinians view Hamas as their legitimate government and they function as a government in many of the same ways as the "normal governments" of other countries.

[u/sar662 → u/noam99]

There are countless North Koreans who swear fealty to their supreme leader. That doesn't change the fact that Kim Jong Un is a ruthless murdering dictator.

There are Palestinians who view Hamas illegitimate government and there are those who don't. The overwhelming majority of Western democracies have taken a careful look at Hamas and decided they are terrorists. I'm not an expert so I'm not going to form my own opinion. I'm ok trusting those guys who do that stuff for a living in their assessment of Hamas.

[u/noam99 → u/sar662]

You're confused: you see, its the so-called "western democracies" who have done all the lying in pursuit of the extermination of Palestinians and it's Hamas and the Palestinian resistance who have proven time and time again who the real terrorists are.

[u/sar662 → u/noam99]

Seems we disagree as to how to view Hamas.

[u/noam99 → u/sar662]

why do you think hamas is bad

[u/sar662 → u/noam99]

Not really the topic of this post but the short version would be probably because of the murdering. I'm not so into it.

[u/justvisiting7744 → u/sar662]

everything you know about dprk (and hamas too) is informed by imperialist media oligarchs who benefit from the subjugation of the global south dawg😭😭😭!!! the majority of countries outside of the west (whose populations constitute the majority of the world) dont even recognize hamas as a terrorist organization, you just care about the “western democracies’” opinion more because your western conditioning has led you to dismiss the opinions of the rest of the world bro😭😭😭!!!

[u/sar662 → u/justvisiting7744]

What's "south dawg"? Is that like up-dog but reversed?

[u/justvisiting7744 → u/sar662]

meant it as in “global south, dawg”, might need to add a comma there #oopsies

[u/sar662 → u/justvisiting7744]

Got it. I think we'll leave it as I disagree with you but I'm glad I understand what you said. Thank you.

[u/actsqueeze → u/justvisiting7744]

Okay, well DPRK is bad, whether we’re being neg fed propaganda or not

[u/noam99 → u/[deleted]]

Your obviously being facetious...it's moronic to conflate a struggle between faction groups with a regime change imposed by an imperial power. If you're implying that Palestinian were "better off" without Hamas...that's simply revisionist history.

[u/noam99 → u/[deleted]]

Thanks for the clarity. Hamas's rise in popularity and effectiveness in confronting the colonial forces indicates to me that Palestinians see them as a more legitimate means to liberation than Fatah (or PLO at large). In that sense, one could argue the resistance is "better off" with Hamas as a leading voice and authority. One could argue Palestinians are "better off"—though I don't think that's up to me to do here. I think we could agree the rise of Hamas over the PLO obviously backfired for Israel; so of course I'm not suggesting there is one easy path to enduring peace with "regime change" (in the broad sense of the phrase) involved.