To preserve the ceasefire, the Americans began an intense round of diplomatic visits that began on Monday (20) with the visit of emissaries Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to the country.
The vice president of the United States, warned, this Wednesday (22), about the challenge of disarming and rebuilding, on the second day of a trip to reinforce support for the fragile ceasefire in the devastated Palestinian territory. Israel and the terrorist group Hamas accused each other, on Sunday (19), of violating the ceasefire following an increase in violence in the south of the Gaza Strip. The truce, promoted by the American president, came into force on October 10 and put an end to more than two years of war, triggered by the Hamas attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. To preserve the ceasefire, the United States began an intense round of diplomatic visits that began on Monday (20) with the visit of emissaries Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Israel.
Both met with the Israeli prime minister, as did Vance this Wednesday. The head of American diplomacy, Marco Rubio, will do so on Friday (24), although he will arrive in the country on Thursday (23), the Israeli government indicated. “We will have a very difficult task ahead of us: to disarm Hamas and rebuild Gaza, to improve the lives of the people of Gaza, but also to ensure that Hamas no longer poses a threat to our friends in Israel,” Vance highlighted at a press conference in Jerusalem with Netanyahu.
The vice-president’s visit coincided with the issuance of a non-binding opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). “As the occupying power, Israel is obliged to guarantee the basic needs of the local population, including essential supplies for their survival,” declared the President of the Court, Yuji Iwasawa. The judge also stated that Israel “has not substantiated its accusations that a significant part of UNRWA employees are members of Hamas (…) or other terrorist factions.”
Israel banned this UN agency from operating in Israeli territory after accusing some of its employees of participating in the October 2023 Hamas attack.
“We hope the ceasefire continues”
The court’s opinion is not legally binding, but the Court found it to have “great legal weight and moral authority.” The American vice president expressed, on Tuesday (21), his “great optimism” regarding the maintenance of the truce in Gaza, despite the weekend’s violence. After announcing the death of two soldiers in clashes in Rafah, in the south of Gaza, the Israeli Army launched dozens of bombings in the territory on Sunday.
The attacks raised fears of the end of the truce, although both sides reaffirmed their support for the ceasefire. “The situation has improved a lot: the war is over and you no longer hear bombs or shelling as before,” said Imran Skeik, a 34-year-old displaced person from the Al Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City. “We hope that the ceasefire continues and that both Israel and Hamas respect it. We are starting to rest a little, but there are still many issues to resolve,” he added.
Trump’s plan for Gaza included the release of hostages still being held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners being held in Israel. It also establishes the disarmament of Hamas, although the Islamist group has so far refused to consider it. Vance said he would not set a deadline for Hamas’s disarmament.
In Israel, the American vice president also mentioned an “international security force” as one of the bodies that should be created for the future of Gaza. Under Trump’s plan, this military mission would maintain peace in the enclave while Israel withdraws.
Netanyahu ensured that ideas for the future of the Palestinian territory were discussed. “We are creating an incredible next day with a completely new vision of how to establish a civilian government, how to ensure security there and who could provide it,” he said. “It won’t be easy”, but “it’s possible”, he considered. “We are really creating a peace plan and infrastructure here, where nothing existed just a week and a day ago,” he added.
Vance said the Gaza deal could also pave the way for Israeli alliances in the Middle East. “I believe that this agreement on Gaza is fundamental to unblocking the Abraham Accords,” he said, referring to the series of normalization pacts between Israel and several Arab countries in 2020.
*With information from AFP
Published by Fernando Dias
