GAZA PEACE DEAL??

This op-ed will be short and to the point.  At best, the so-called Gaza Peace Deal will mutate.  It will change from today’s celebrations to tomorrow’s head shaking and disbelief.  Already there is a report of Gazan militias forming up and fighting each other, as well as what is left of Hamas.  Further, readers must remember distrust and grudges are the cornerstones of Arab culture.  Moreover, having one such as Turkey play a key role in providing a peace-keeping force is not a solution.  Do you think their presence will be resented eventually by the Gazans?  This could be an insurgency no one was expecting.

So, let’s not celebrate too early.  Moreover, not all of the 20 some points in the peace plan have been agreed to by both sides.  There will be plenty of opportunities for either party to walk out in a huff.  Mutual distrust remains high.  Expectations of being double-crossed remain high.  The singing will stop and the shouting will begin.  Who will do it first?  Of course each with accuse the other.

All of this is said with the recognition that a phalanx of American and Mid-eastern financial interests are already planning on transforming what is not a pile of rubble into a jewel of the Mediterranean.  Can we believe them?  Do they really understand what they are up against?  This supposed shift from political to economic interests being in control does not guarantee anything.

Yes, we will all be watching closely and carefully in the coming days.  Moreover, even as one can point to some likely developments, there are far more things which will take us completely by surprise.  If the forces of peace prevail, great.   The greater issue is the breadth and depth of conniving which will ensue.  Shadowy actors, deep state actors, factional groups, who knows?  What we do know is that the peace we seek is still a long way away.