I really tried to get excited when news of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas first broke. I desperately wanted to believe it might lead to real peace. That perhaps the insanity of the past two years was finally over. But, deep down, I knew better. There were just too many factors working against it.
The first: Israel is ruled by an indicted war criminal who built his entire political career on promises he would never make peace with the Palestinians. Frighteningly, Netanyahu is not even the most extreme member of Israel’s government. Israeli Minister for National Security, Itzimar Ben-Gvir, has openly advocated for ethnic cleansing against the Palestinians. Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu suggested using nuclear weapons against Gaza. There are people in Israel’s government today who would have been considered extreme in the 3rd reich. They are fanatical, unapologetically racist, and have no interest in peace.
The patently ridiculous terms of the agreement itself were another important clue. Israel has spent the past two years murdering 20,000 children while turning tens of thousands more into amputees or orphans. Many of these crimes were live streamed and documented for the entire world to see. There have been countless videos showing Israeli forces attacking unarmed civilians, some of whom were waving white flags. The evidence Israel’s military has intentionally and systematically targeted civilians is overwhelming and irrefutable. Requiring the victims of these crimes to surrender their weapons, while allowing the psychopaths responsible for committing them to keep theirs, defies all logic and common sense. It is both undeniable proof the world is a twisted and evil place, and one more reason to doubt the ceasefire.
Yet another absurd part of the agreement was the pathetically small number of Palestinian hostages who were released. Whereas Hamas was required to release all its hostages, Israel was only required to free 2,000 out of the over 11,000 Palestinians rotting in its dungeons. According to the IDF’s own estimates, 75% of these people are civilians. These innocents have been forced to endure abhorrent conditions including torture and rape by their guards. At least 75 Palestinians have died in custody. Allowing Israel to continue to unjustly hold and abuse so many of these hostages was another signal the agreement was not meant to last.
Events in Lebanon were equally instructive. Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a “ceasefire” on Nov. 26, 2024. Since then, Israel has attacked Lebanon on a “nearly-daily” basis. More than 270 people have been murdered and the Israeli military continues to occupy Lebanese territory.
Finally, there are the parties meant to guarantee the peace: Donald Trump and America. The former is a completely untrustworthy and unreliable man who spent the first year of this genocide gleefully cheering Israel on. Even before Trump returned to power, America was Israel’s primary ams dealers, financier, and diplomatic shield. Without the unequivocal bi-partisan support of the American government and its mouthpieces in the corporate media, this genocide would have ended after three months because Israel would have run out of ammunition, money, and political support. America’s leaders and media pundits were active accomplices to Israel’s crimes. Allowing them to claim the role of peacemaker at this juncture might be the most ridiculous aspect of this entire affair and the greatest reason to doubt it will lead to lasting peace.
America’s primary concern has always been protecting Israel, not the Palestinians. The ceasefire must therefore be analyzed in relation to how it impacts Israel. After spending two years razing Gaza to the ground, the IDF found itself mired in a conflict it could not win. Areas declared “clear” of the enemy repeatedly saw renewed resistance, with Hamas fighters adapting and striking back more effectively. Casualties were mounting and its reserves were straining under the pressure of their constant deployments. Given Israel’s increasingly precarious military position and growing international isolation, it is clear the ceasefire was never intended as a reprieve for the Palestinians but as a tactical pause for Israel. Much like its first ceasefire with Hamas, Israel will most likely use the current lull in fighting to rearm and prepare for the next round.
The weeks since its implementation have merely confirmed these fears. Israel has already violated the agreement over a hundred times, killing 226 people. America is still shipping it weapons and its sociopathic leaders have repeatedly threatened to resume their genocide. They are also arming clans and militias throughout Gaza to ensure no sense of calm or stability ever returns to the enclave.
The cumulative weight of this data proves the ceasefire is a facade meant to protect Israel’s apartheid regime, not lead to sustainable peace. Confident in their military and technological dominance, the butchers of Tel Aviv have embraced a strategy of perpetual war. As such, it is only a matter of time before they resume their slaughter and ethnic cleansing.
If the Palestinians want real peace, they will need to take matters into their own hands. I suggested many years ago that adopting non-violent methods of civil disobedience was their best option. It might seem insane to suggest such tactics against men who intentionally murder children but the sad reality is the Palestinians are running out of time. They have been abandoned by the cowards who rule the Muslim world and find themselves confronted by well armed fanatics intent on driving them off their land. Armed resistance will only give these evil people more excuses to open fire whereas widespread civil disobedience has the potential to fundamentally shift the dynamics of this conflict in their favor. Since we have all seen what happens to civilians who congregate in Gaza, those Palestinians living in Israel proper and the West Bank will need to lead the way. The only real path to peace is one state with equal rights for all, not a fake ceasefire that Israel can violate with impunity as it continues its occupation and violence.