Jan 20 2009
The four flaws in the Israeli ceasefire
NY Times Blog
JANUARY 19, 2009, 12:04 PM
Four Flaws in the Israeli Cease-Fire
By DAOUD KUTTAB
Daoud Kuttab is a Palestinian journalist and former professor of journalism at Princeton University. He has been part of a continuing discussion in Room for Debate on the war in Gaza.
While the Egyptian government has succeeded in pulling a rabbit out of its hat in getting the short-term truce supported by Palestinian militants, the result is far short of any serious cease-fire agreement. The unilateral cease-fire declared by Israel and followed 12 hours later by the Palestinians lacks four basic components that any lasting cease-fire must include. The declarations were not multilateral; the cease-fire lacks an independent monitor; no prisoners on either side were released; and there appears no serious effort for a political process that can address the demands of the Gazan fighters.
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