GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Palestinians erupted in triumphant celebrations Thursday, vowing new unity among rival factions and a renewed commitment to the tactic of resistance, while Israel’s leaders sought to soberly sell the achievements of their latest military operation to a domestic audience long skeptical of cease-fire agreements like the one announced the night before.
After eight days of intense Israeli shelling from air and sea that killed 162 Gazans, including at least 30 militant commanders, and flattened many government buildings and private homes, people poured onto the streets, beaming as they shopped and strolled under the shield of the cease-fire agreement reached Wednesday in Cairo. The place was awash in flags, not only the signature green of the ruling Hamas party but also the yellow, black and red of rivals Fatah, Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a rainbow not visible here in years.
Comments
"NY Times says "Cease-fire between Israel and Hamas seems to be holding" Notice the word "SEEMS". As in Barack Obama's "Arab Spring" foreign policy and sanctions against Itan SEEM to be working.
If the Palestinians consider this a victory, I wonder what a defeat would look like?
It's refreshing to read article showing compassion for the Palestinians. Most of the press and all of the Obama Administration presents this as if Israel is the underdog and is fighting for it's survival. Palestinians have no rights and no hope unless the US steps up and forces Israel to stop being a terrorist govt and broker a true deal that restores the rights of the Palestinians. We must remember the pain and suffering of the Palestinians, especially the innocent children. We need less fighting and more compassion and most importantly, Justice.
Before the rights of Palestinians are, in your words, restored, would you agree that an admission of Israel's right to exist should be a prerequisite?