The investigation of Gaza matters has revealed uncomfortable realities that puts the focus back on people that live there as their home. There’s now no other way to see what the situation is but the problem remains that Hamas is the largest roadblock to peace in the region.
Their tunnels ‘program’ has run into ruin and its Russian contacts have fled the scene. No longer will the threat of routine interrogation hang over the heads of Western lawmakers – or those who fight for peace for everyone worldwide.
The Trump-sponsored Board Of Peace, setup to consider the challenges of global conflict and handle the solutions, is fast becoming the main point of authority on a galvanisation of resources and participants that believe Gaza can be returned to stability.
“The goal is clear and is not in question: the complete decommissioning of weapons in the Strip and the transition away from rule by the gun to civilian governance. Reaching it will be a process. And that process will be set out in the next phase of the work.”
In absence of Hamas, the challenges remain. Any return of terrorism threatens the state of affairs immediately. There’s no central power base as yet that can form a government, and no genuine diplomacy exists there. It’s still occupied by international aid groups and political causes.
How Israel plays a role in this is not clear. Their legal obligations are obscured by a long running felt need to display strength against terror elements to deter activity. Its engagement has been largely self-determined and has been disputed internationally. It cannot realistically bring peace there.
Saudi Arabia, a country principally on the sidelines, has expressed concern. It’s believed a ‘something, not nothing’ approach is requested by its ruling leadership but a failure to translate this into real steps has meant it has had little to do with settling the issue.
The UK has steadily withdrawn from engagement due to ongoing issues with protest activity, false research used by leadership, and a prevalence of terror activity not related to terror attacks. It means the coordination of meetings and planning efforts has not involved London.
The situation for those in Gaza has varied according to type of help given and its availability from relevant sources. The import of supplies and distribution has a patchwork effect and so the population remains divided along aid lines.
There’s hope for the future. Local journalism teams are making inroads into media opportunities and have represented specific causes to regional partners. Businesspeople are also confident some good can come out of Board Of Peace efforts if talks are sufficient enough.