A significant breakthrough was achieved on Saturday with the announcement of a deal aimed at ending the current conflict. This agreement is a crucial step forward, offering hope for the release of hostages and a cessation of hostilities. However, the prospect of a lasting peace itself remains a hostage, captive to several formidable challenges and unresolved issues that this deal fails to address.
The first challenge is the immediate prisoner of the implementation process. The deal’s success is held captive by a complex and high-stakes exchange involving the release of hostages, the withdrawal of troops, and the formation of a new government. Any failure in this delicate process could lead to its immediate collapse, proving that the trust required for its execution is itself a fragile captive.
A second, more profound issue holding peace hostage is the question of Hamas’s arms. The underlying international framework calls for the group’s disarmament, a condition Hamas has not accepted. A future where Hamas remains a significant military power ensures that security and stability will always be at risk. Peace cannot be truly free as long as it exists under the constant threat of a well-armed militia.
The ultimate captors of a final peace are the unresolved “final status” issues. The current agreement makes no attempt to free the region from the long-standing disputes over borders, Jerusalem, refugees, and Palestinian statehood. Hamas has stated these issues are to be negotiated later, after a unified Palestinian position is formed. This means that the core drivers of the conflict remain locked away, waiting to be confronted in a future, and likely more difficult, negotiation.
In conclusion, this deal is a vital ransom payment to free the region from immediate violence. It secures a period of calm and achieves the critical goal of saving lives. However, it does not secure a final peace. That ultimate prize remains a hostage, and its release will require a far greater price in political courage and compromise than what has been paid so far.