OPINION: Global Justice Macclesfield welcome Gaza ceasefire but continue call for sanctions on Israel

The ceasefire in Gaza and the return of hostages to Israel and detainees and prisoners to Palestine is to be hugely welcomed.
These were a consequence of a number of factors.
The Trump 20-point peace plan and the declaration of peace accord signed at Sharm El-Sheihk in Egypt by Donald Trump and the heads of state of Egypt, Qatar and Turkey were key documents.
Crucial to moving the process forward was the pressure that was exerted on both sides to sign up to the plan in particular the pressure applied to Netanyahu by Donald Trump.
Furthermore there was significant internal pressure in Israel to end the war primarily to get the hostages out but also because of an increased realisation that Israel was becoming an isolated state.

It is a very fragile peace with very significant challenges ahead if the final point of the plan of 'a peaceful and prosperous co-existence' is to be achieved.
There is almost no detail on how the plan is to be implemented and the declaration is devoid of content. There are serious omissions in the plan.
Thus there is no mention whatsoever of The West Bank that constitutes 94% of Palestinian Land and the majority of the Palestinian People.
There is minimal mention of the role of the Palestinian Government (The Palestinian Authority) beyond the need for it to continue with a significant internal reform program.
Furthermore the proposals on both the government and security structures have only minimal Palestinian involvement and could very easily lead to an entrenchment of both Israeli colonisation and wealthy foreign exploitation of Gaza and The West Bank against the wishes of the Palestinians.

If there is continued goodwill on the part of the Israelis and Palestinians to work through the details it is to be hoped that a peaceful and prosperous co-existence can be achieved.
The role of outside parties such as the US and the UK and predominantly Muslim states such as Egypt, Turkey and Qatar should be to facilitate and not dominate this process by providing both 'carrot and stick'.
Global Justice Now continues to call for sanctions, a suspension of the UK's trade deal with Israel, an end to arms sales, and an end to supporting the illegal Israeli occupations through trade.
And we continue to hold in mind the innumerable person tragedies that have taken place over the last two years.
Global Justice Macclesfield
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