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June 19, 2008
Glimmer of Hope
A glimmer of hope is emerging today in the Middle East. At 6:00 am, a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was set to take effect. For anyone hoping for a long term solution, they will be disappointed. The hope here is for a small step forward, the chance of improved conditions. But just as easily as this glimmer has been created, it can be squashed as well. Watch the rhetoric as these six months pass. Unfortunately for Hamas and Israel, this conflict and ceasefire arise in the shadow of a US election. If the US wants to squash the ceasefire, it will up its description of 'Hamas is a terrorist organization' and disparage these small steps as undermining Fatah. Look for George Bush to be the cowboy again, not two weeks after 'lamenting' the rhetoric used in the run up to war on Iraq. Some people just do not know how to contain themselves, and Bush has never done diplomacy- why expect it now in the dying days of his regime? His comment has the possibility of spilling this issue into the US presidential race, and if that happens, this small glimmer of hope will be obliterated.
Posted by r.johnson at June 19, 2008 12:52 PM