Hamas/Syria/Iran Toughen Line on Ceasefire

The likelihood of a ceasefire in Gaza declined today when Hamas and Iran took a hard line a summit underway in Doha, Qatar. [Reports from Haaretz and Al Jazeera] Hamas has five demands that must be met before it will agree to a ceasefire.

1. The reciprocal truce would begin on Saturday and be followed by the immediate transfer of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.
2. The Israel Defense Forces must pull all of its troops out of the coastal territory within the first week of the truce.
3. The flow of trade in and out of the Gaza Strip must be renewed and monitored by observers from Egypt, Europe, and Turkey.
4. The Rafah crossing must be reopened and supervised by Palestinian Authority security forces and international observers, until a Palestinian unity government has been established and can take its place.
5. The truce would be instated for one-year with an option for renewal.

I consider this good news for the Israelis, since it will allow them to continue their operations for a few more days. The idea that Hamas will only be bound to adhere to a ceasefire for one year is unacceptable. It's certainly consistent with Hamas's philosophy of a ceasefire, but offers no guarantee that after rebuilding Hamas won't start rocketing Israel once again. Nor do any of the five points address the Israeli and American view that any agreement has to include procedures that would prevent Hamas from rebuilding its arsenal. That's why the Israel's have been blockading the Strip in the first place. The most troubling of the crossing, at Rafah along the Egyptian border, in the Hamas scheme will ultimately be "supervised" by forces from a "Palestinian unity government," that is one that wold include Hamas.

Given the faltering nature of anti-Israeli sentiment around the world, evident even in the West Bank, continued divisions among the Arab states, and obvious differences between Hamas leaders actually under fire in Gaza and those safely ensconced in Damascus, I suspect that the Israelis will continue their attacks at least until Hamas yields a bit more.