I feel like the international community has had to bully him into making this happen. He has changed stance from his whole ‘make Palestine into the gulf’s hottest property spot’ schtick. Hopefully we get two states and a lasting peace.
Far from it. Its the loud voices of the cranks on the extremes and those "sensible" folks in the centre that have or are given platforms that make the noise on all of our behalf. Your voice and mine may well not be represented by any of them but "the loud voices" on the left and the right are not the voices of people like you or I! What you think or I think is pronounced by those voices with the platforms as being X not Y. We don't count!
Yes I read the other day that he had little chance to start with for the very reason you mention . My comment the other day about him being given the freedom of the world , wasn’t entirely serious . If and I fear it’s a very big if , peace lasts , he should get something IMHO .
The irony of this of course is that Machado’s party (she was barred from standing) won 70% of the vote in the recent election, only to have Murado overturn it. Trump has therefore been usurped on the Nobel Peace Prize, which he wasn’t qualified to win, by a person he supports who genuinely did have an election stolen from her.
I find it really difficult to block out thoughts of Joseph Conrad's,"Nostromo " whenever I encounter stories about corrupt governments on South America. It is disappointing the way Maduro has squandered Hugo Chavez' legacy.
Does anyone else worry that once the Hostage / Prisoner exchange takes place , something’s going to occur , and it will kick off again ?
This politics thread would be so boring without Ian's comedy, albeit accidental comedy that is really sincere belief. lol. I see the left left is still on the Chavez bandwagon.
I’m not sure it will really stop anytime soon . I was listening to Any Questions on BBC R4 earlier , and a Woman summed it up for me . When asked if she thought the ceasefire would hold and long term peace would begin , she said “ I have hope , but not optimism “ . Now there are reports of internal struggles between Hamas and another group . Hamas doesn’t look like it’s going to be handing its weapons over anytime soon . From the BBC Tensions rose sharply and quickly after two members of Hamas's elite forces were shot dead by gunmen from the powerful Dughmush clan in Gaza City's Sabra neighbourhood. One of them was the son of a senior commander in Hamas's armed wing, Imad Aqel, who now heads the group's military intelligence. Their bodies were left in the street, triggering anger and raising the prospect of a major armed response by Hamas. Hamas members later surrounded a large area where more than 300 Dughmush gunmen were believed to be holed up, armed with machine guns and improvised explosives. This morning Hamas killed one Dughmush clan member, and reportedly kidnapped another 30. Some of the clan's weapons were looted from Hamas depots during the war, while others had been in the clan's possession for years. The Hamas mobilisation had been widely anticipated amid growing uncertainty about who will govern Gaza once the war ends. This is a key issue that could complicate the start of the second phase of US President Donald Trump's peace plan, which calls for Hamas to disarm. A Hamas official abroad declined to comment directly on reports of the security deployment, but told the BBC: "We cannot leave Gaza at the mercy of thieves and militias backed by the Israeli occupation. Our weapons are legitimate... to resist occupation, and they will remain as long as the occupation continues." A retired security officer who served for years with the Palestinian Authority in Gaza said he feared the territory was sliding towards another round of internal bloodshed. "Hamas hasn't changed. It still believes that weapons and violence are the only means to keep its movement alive," he told the BBC. "Gaza is flooded with arms. Looters have stolen thousands of weapons and rounds of ammunition from Hamas stores during the war, and some groups have even received supplies from Israel. "This is a perfect recipe for civil war: weapons, frustration, chaos, and a movement desperate to reassert control over a shattered and exhausted population." Khalil Abu Shammala, a human rights expert who lives in Gaza, said it remained to be seen whether Hamas would accept handing over control on the ground or seek to obstruct the plan's implementation. "There is undoubtedly widespread fear among many Gazans of potential internal fighting, given the many conditions that could fuel it," he said. He said Hamas had been forced to accept the peace plan by the severe pressure it was under. "I believe its continued attempts to maintain influence by any means, including involvement in security affairs, could ultimately jeopardise the agreement and plunge Gaza's residents into even greater suffering," he said. These developments since the ceasefire earlier this week have sparked deep concern among Gazans already worn down by two years of a devastating conflict.
