It looks like there may be some movement in a peace agreement in the Gaza conflict.
This war seemed to me both pointless and inevitable.
Israel responded to the murder of three settlers by re-capturing Hamas prisoners that had previously been released. I'd argue that the settlement policy was a crazy policy of a right-wing Israeli government.
Then Hamas starts firing rockets.
Now despite all the protestations of diarists on this site, I pose the question. What exactly did Hamas think would happen when they started firing rockets into Israel? Did they perhaps think that Israel would throw them a party? Did they expect that Israel would do nothing?
So Israel invades. The inevitable consequence of the invasion was thousands of Palestinian deaths as well as tens of dead Israeli soldiers. There is no Israeli military solution to the problem of Hamas rockets so what ends up happen is just trashing the Palestinian infrastructure and killing Palestinian civilians.
At some point even Israel has to acknowledge that this is pointless and it withdraws.
Now both Israeli government and Hamas have satisfied their supporters that they are sufficiently warlike. (Hopefully) Both sides recognize that they will gain nothing from further conflict.
Peace terms are drawn up, including lifting certain restrictions on trade, demilitarizing Hamas, releasing the Hamas prisoners. The peace terms are exactly the terms that should have been drawn before the war started. Perhaps a positive result in the end. Perhaps each side had to play their part in a grim choreography.
The End.