Friday, May 21, 2021
“Finger on the trigger”
Fragile ceasefire in the Gaza conflict will hold for now
Eleven days of rocket fire are behind them. Now the Israeli sirens are silent, warning of shelling. On the other hand, thousands of Palestinians are cheering on the streets. But the ceasefire is fragile. Both sides warn of a renewed flare-up of the conflict.
The ceasefire in the Gaza conflict to end an eleven-day brutal exchange of blows between militant Palestinians and Israel was respected in the morning. Hours after the ceasefire began at 2:00 a.m. (1:00 a.m. CEST), no new rocket attacks on Israel were reported from the coastal strip. The Israeli army also stopped its attacks. Both sides warned that if the other side did not abide by the Egyptian agreement, it would be void.
The ceasefire had been confirmed, among other things, on the basis of Egyptian mediation. According to diplomatic information, the agreement provides that two Egyptian delegations in the Palestinian territories and in Tel Aviv ensure that the ceasefire is maintained. In addition, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is planning to travel to the Middle East to meet with his Israeli and Palestinian counterparts, among others.
In the Gaza Strip, thousands of people took to the streets without fear for the first time since the fighting began. Fighters fired into the air from their automatic weapons and many shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is great). This call also echoed from the speakers in the minarets of the mosques in the densely populated and largely isolated area. In Israel, the sirens did not wail that had warned people of rocket fire the previous nights.
A representative of the radical Islamic Hamas has meanwhile commented on the group’s demands. Ezzat El-Reshiq is a member of the Hamas political bureau and told Reuters that Israel must end the violence in Jerusalem and repair the damage caused by the bombing. “It is true that the battle ends today, but (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and the whole world should know that our fingers are on the trigger,” said the Hamas representative in Doha. Her demands also include the protection of the Al-Aqsa mosque and an end to the eviction of several Palestinians from their homes in East Jerusalem.
Biden pledges support to Israel
On the other hand, US President Joe Biden Israel has given his “full support” to fully equip the Israeli iron dome defense system. The system developed jointly with the USA must also guarantee Israel’s defense and security “in the future,” said Biden. The United States continues to have Israel’s right to defend itself against rocket attacks by Hamas and other terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip, he said.
The “Iron Dome”, which has been in use since 2011, is intended to protect Israel from attacks with short-range missiles, among other things. A radar device detects approaching projectiles and forwards the information to a rocket launcher. He launches an interceptor missile to destroy the enemy projectile in the air, if possible before the impact – and that, according to Israeli information, with a hit rate of around 90 percent. According to the Israeli military, militant Palestinians fired a total of around 4,000 rockets at Israel. Israel is now likely to want to quickly rebuild its missile stocks. The US has supported the development, construction and maintenance of the defense system with more than 1.6 billion dollars.
“Serious dialogue” required
UN Secretary General António Guterres called on Israelis and Palestinians to enter into a “serious dialogue” about the roots of their conflict. He appealed to the international community to work with the UN on launching a “swift” and “robust” aid package for the sustainable reconstruction of the areas affected by the recent escalation of violence.
During a visit to Jerusalem and Ramallah on Thursday, Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas advocated putting the Middle East conflict “back at the top of the agenda of international politics”.
In the fighting that broke out on May 10, a total of almost 250 people were killed, twelve of them on the Israeli side. The toughest skirmishes between Israel and radical Palestinians in years arose from clashes at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem. On Monday last week, Hamas responded with rocket attacks. Tensions have been exacerbated by plans to evacuate the homes of Palestinian families in East Jerusalem. The land is claimed by Jewish settlers.
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