Will the New Egyptian President be the Answer to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict?

Armando Cruz Ubaldo; 138740

Modern Political Thought

Source: New York Times

Without doubt, one of the most long standing conflicts in the modern world is the Palestinian and Israeli conflict. Several have been the causes attributed to it, as well as several have been the solutions suggested. The truth is that either party seem to know anymore why do they continue fighting. Could it really be for territory? Or are there political or economic reasons behind? Or perhaps, just perhaps, is it just a matter of old ideologies? Whichever the answer is, today the conflict came to a temporary halt thanks to the intervention of Mohamed Morsi, the new egyptian president.

What does Morsi has that Mubarak didn't have (besides US. support of course)? The article that talked about this piece of news in the New York Times showed that the negotiations between the Israeli forces and the palestinian group "Hamas" succeeded thanks to the diplomatic ways of President Morsi and to the intervention of the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. However, this cease-fire agreement will undoubtedly not last while both parts concerned reach an agreement.

The reason why both parties agreed to cease-fire was the concialiatory manner in which the US and Europeans chose to speak to the Hamas; they suggested that the West had come to Hamas and its Islamist allies in Egypt pleading for peace. The most conving argument given - and definetely the one that conquered the Hamas' hearts, was along the lines that “Egypt did not sell out the resistance as some people have claimed. Egypt understood the demands of the resistance and the Palestinian people.” The agreement postponed the resolution of the most contentious issue: Israel’s tight restrictions on the border crossings into Gaza under a seven-year-old embargo imposed to thwart Hamas from arming itself. The one-page “understanding” regarding the cease-fire called for “opening the crossing and facilitating the movement of people and transfer of goods,” but it also said that “procedures of implementation will be dealt with after 24 hours from the start of the cease-fire.”

Finally, it is important to note that one could question what is it with the americans and their need for world peace? The answer is simple: while conflict can fuel production and thus economy, during a crisis, it is letal for global economy. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has not just left thousands of deaths in the last decade, but it also has contributted to ethnocentrism, fueling the wrong type of nationalism. It is very important that diplomatic work continues to be done to stop this conflict, whichever the reasons behind for each particular country to contribute in doing so.