The Daily Star Lebanon

Since the full headlines usually added that, in stark contrast, Israel had accepted the Egypt-brokered initiative, why is Hamas seemingly acting stubborn in the face of overwhelmingly superior military firepower, and amid horrific destruction in terms of lives and livelihoods in the Gaza Strip?

In effect, Hamas is being asked to return to the situation immediately prior to the outbreak of the most recent Israeli bombing campaign, and that situation was intolerable. Anyone familiar with the situation for the Palestinians in Gaza, and to a certain extent those in the West Bank, is aware of a simple fact: They are under occupation, in one form or another. In some places, one might see the trappings of Palestinian statehood, but there is no independent, sovereign Palestinian political entity, and that is the crux of the problem.

Hamas in Gaza is supremely concerned with things such as the freedom of movement and goods through border crossings, and the return of Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Israel. A simple cease-fire in Gaza will not address these matters, because it has been put forward as a purely short-term sedative, rather than as a useful beginning to achieving something more durable.

Some might ask, about Hamas, that after all of the physical and human destruction Gaza has endured since last week, what would it have to lose politically by agreeing to a cease-fire? The real question, however, is what would it have to gain?

Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Opinion/Editorial/2014/Jul-16/264001-cease-fire-is-no-solution.ashx#ixzz37cCpvjsm
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)