Beyond the Handshake: The Towering Obstacles to Peace After the Hamas Deal

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An agreement has been signed, a moment of diplomatic success that offers a respite from the violence. While this deal is a crucial first step, it is far from the final chapter in the long and painful Israeli-Palestinian story. Looking beyond the initial relief, three towering obstacles cast a long shadow over the prospects for a durable peace, reminding us that the hardest work is yet to come.
The first obstacle is the immediate and fragile process of implementation. The agreement is a complex tapestry of commitments, including the release of hostages, the repositioning of military forces, and the establishment of a new governing authority. This phase is fraught with potential pitfalls. A single delay or perceived violation could unravel the entire accord, plunging the region back into chaos and proving that trust, once broken, is incredibly difficult to mend.
The second obstacle is the contentious issue of Hamas’s military arsenal. The deal’s architects envision a demilitarized Palestinian territory, but Hamas has not explicitly agreed to relinquish its weapons. As long as Hamas remains a potent, armed force, it will be viewed as a constant threat, capable of destabilizing any new political arrangement. This fundamental security dilemma must be addressed for any genuine peace to flourish.
The third, and arguably the most significant, obstacle is the deliberate deferral of the conflict’s root causes. The agreement effectively puts a pin in the most explosive “final status” issues: the final borders of a future state, the political and religious status of Jerusalem, the right of return for millions of Palestinian refugees, and the very principle of Palestinian statehood. Hamas has made it clear that these are matters for future, pan-Palestinian deliberation, ensuring that the path ahead will be anything but smooth.
While the world can and should celebrate the end of active hostilities, it must do so with a clear-eyed understanding of the situation. This deal is not a final settlement; it is a temporary truce that creates a new status quo. It stops the fighting and saves lives, which is a monumental achievement in itself. However, the transformation of this truce into a lasting peace will require confronting and overcoming these towering obstacles, a challenge that has historically proven to be insurmountable.

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