Agreement to end fighting in Gaza is a welcome relief but there’s a long way to go to a lasting peace
The agreement to the initial phases of a plan to end fighting in Gaza are to be welcomed. The war in Gaza has led to ruptures not just in the Middle East but across the globe.
World leaders, however, need to exercise caution against complacency. An end to the fighting does not mean that the problems in the Middle East have been resolved. There are still many grievances that need to be resolved.
What the international community needs to do is press ahead with a long-term plan that gives people in Israel and Palestine the chance to live their lives in peace and relative prosperity.
Donald Trump is delivering on his promise to end the fighting but in order for him to deliver peace, the US President needs to view the conflict in the Middle East beyond the lens of a real estate deal.
On the domestic front, Western leaders need to understand the grievances of those that have lost loved ones in this conflict and of those who simply have been horrified by the events that have unfolded over the past two years.
Police-recorded hate crime in England and Wales has risen for the first time in three years – including increases in both racially and religiously motivated offences.
These figures excluded those recorded by Britain’s biggest police force, the Metropolitan Police. The Home Office said the Met recorded 40 per cent of all religious hate crimes targeted at Jewish people in the last year. This clearly shows that work needs to be done at home.
For now, the families of the hostages and all those facing daily bombardment can at least hope.