Hopes of Gaza ceasefire rise as Hamas delegation arrives in Cairo
Hopes of Gaza ceasefire rise as Hamas delegation arrives in Cairo
www.theguardian.com
Hopes of Gaza ceasefire rise as Hamas delegation arrives in Cairo
Egyptian and US mediators have reported signs of compromise in recent days and Egyptian state news channel Al-Qahera said on Saturday that a consensus had been reached in the indirect talks over many of the disputed points but gave no further details. However, many analysts remain pessimistic after five months of stop-start talks that have frequently broken down
Something I'm struggling to understand: if people say Hamas does not represent Palestine, why are they the ones representing Gaza diplomatically? Shouldn't the UN or someone step in so that Gazans can decide who their government is first, before anybody can make decisions for them -- especially a group of deeply corrupt oligarchs based in a different country?
The UN can't step in.
The US protects Israel from UN intervention.
The people of Gaza haven't been able to have an election for about 18 years because of conditions there.
Netanyahu's faction in Israel initially helped Hamas because they wanted to "divide and conquer" so that the Palestinians didn't have one government and couldn't negotiate a two state solution.
No elections because Hamas wouldn't allow any form of democracy. I know people are (rightfully) focused on Israel right now, but let us not forget what massive pieces of shit the Hamas leadership is. As far as I can tell this is the exact situation they were aiming for. Endless war. A situation we (as Americans or just humans in general, take your pick) have been, are, and most likely will continue to enable and inflame.
Same as it ever was
Don't forget in March when the cease fire was proposed and China and Russia vetoed it. It isn't as simple as the U.S. being the only outside group at fault for the UN not stepping in.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Palestinian_legislative_election
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamas
Short answer, it's complicated because the last time Palestine had an election this is who the Palestinian people voted for. But there also hasn't been an election like that in a very long time
Also, Israel and the US didn't like their choice, hence the PA which is considered highly corrupt and propped up by Israel and the US.
So for better or Elmore, Hamas is who the Palestinian people voted for (at one point). Their designation as a terrorist organization is largely a western government thing. The UN does not recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization.
This is true, but it seems to me like an Italy in WW2 kind of situation (sorry for all the WW2 parallels, folks) where a government was voted in but overstayed its welcome, to put it mildly.
That would be nice but Palestinians never get a seat at the table when it comes to talks about things in the region. They were left out of the Abraham accords which was meant to normalize relations in the region with Israel and they'll be left out of this because Israel wants to keep being able to steam roll them. Not let them have any kind of platform or position to be able to negotiate.
And yet Israel is negotiating with Hamas?..
For the same reason that dictatorial regimes are still negotiated with to end wars.
"They represent the popular will" and "They represent the ability of the region to continue fighting" are two different things.
In this situation, they’re the ones holding the hostages, and they did win the elections in Gaza in 2006, after-which they basically removed anyone else that could challenge them in Gaza. The Palestinian Authority still represents the West Bank, but they’re not holding hostages nor could they guarantee their return if they were negotiating. Hamas is a useful tool for Israel because they give Israel exactly the kinds of excuses they need to barge in and take more land.
Whoever represents a country is whoever has military control over the land and population inhabiting that country. Very rarely is there any other option (e.g. exiled leader).
Also, the UN is mostly a tool of the 5 veto-wielding members of the security council, who've done nothing to prevent Israel's genocide — They are incapable of representing, and don't deserve to represent, the Palestinian people.
Belgium in WW1, France and Greece during WW2, Spain during Franco, and I'm sure there are others... It isn't that uncommon. I'm not suggesting the UN occupies Gaza permanently, but Gazans should be able to decide who represents them (and I sure hope it isn't Hamas).
I don't see how an election could happen during the current war? A long term cease fire is necessary to organize. So now if hamas who is part of the conflict and the one that fight Israel is not part of the negaciation who will?