On the wings of hope

Also encouraging is the imminent declaration of a ceasefire by Palestinian factions Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Al Aqsa Brigades in return for an Israeli pledge to cease and desist from targeting Palestinians and continuing its military incursions deep into Palestinian areas. Unfortunately, despite all these positive and peaceful overtures from the Palestinian side, Israel continues its escalation against the Palestinians and their lands. Because the parties have never been so close to an agreement on an armistice, Israel must stop its provocation against the Palestinians in order to give the new climate a chance to make additional gains on the peace front.

We commend the Palestinian factions for overriding the Israeli provocation and pressing ahead with an announcement about a ceasefire that would mean stopping all attacks against Israeli targets especially civilian targets inside Israel. The promise of peace is in the air again, and we hope that neither the Palestinians nor the Israelis will do anything to undermine the goodwill that has been generated of late. The forces of peace and for peace are now riding on the wings of hope that now at last the parties are reaching out to strike a deal that would put an end to their conflict once and for all. This prospect must not be interrupted or disturbed. Much can be built on the positive development, and it is up to the parties, especially Israel, to let this flow of constructive development proceed at full speed.