
Massachusetts Peace Action (MAPA) welcomes the 6-week ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas which went into effect on January 19. The agreement brings a pause in the devastating carnage in the Gaza Strip after 15 months of deadly Israeli attacks that killed at least 50,000 innocent Palestinian civilians.
The three-phase ceasefire deal will include the release of dozens of Israeli prisoners being held in Gaza and hundreds of Palestinians being held in Israel. It has already allowed entry of desperately needed food, medicine, and other humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza, and for Gaza Palestinians to begin to return to what is left of their homes.
Negotiations for the second phase of the agreement, addressing exchanges of remaining prisoners and hostages and Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, are supposed to begin February 4. Unfortunately, most observers are highly skeptical that a Phase 2 agreement will be reached. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has already promised his far right coalition partners that war will resume instead of a withdrawal, and Hamas is hardly likely to release all its prisoners without an Israeli withdrawal. President Trump appears to have pressured PM Netanyahu to sign the ceasefire so that he would have a smooth inauguration, but his strongly pro-Israel appointees indicate that his administration is unlikely to push hard for Phase 2.
In the meantime, Israel has escalated its attacks in the West Bank since the Gaza ceasefire took effect.
More U.S. pressure on Israel’s government, including withholding of arms shipments, would have yielded much earlier approval of an agreement accepted by Hamas and the UN Security Council in May, but refused by Israel. Thousands have needlessly died since then. Now we demand that the US government and the UN ensure that the agreement is upheld by all parties. In particular, it is critical that we keep up pressure on the U.S. government and Israel to ensure that phase 2 of the agreement, which calls for withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, be implemented.
The ceasefire deal is a critical first step in support of the safety and right to life of all people living in Israel and Palestine. But an end to US arms shipments to Israel and to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories are crucial for any lasting peace. We will continue to work for a solution that provides justice for both Israelis and Palestinians.