A peace deal of hopes and fears

For the first time, the full weight of the Oval Office is behind a deal. And also for the first time, many Muslim and Arab nations, including countries with long-standing ties to Hamas such as Qatar and Turkey, have welcomed and supported the agreement. That’s no small thing.

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AIJAC welcomes news of agreement on first phase of Israel-Hamas peace plan

AIJAC Executive Director Dr Colin Rubenstein said, “The Australian Jewish community welcomes the signed agreement by Israel and Hamas to release all Israeli hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners very soon and for the withdrawal of Israeli troops to an agreed line. Hopefully the next phases – the end of any Hamas role in Gaza, and the commitment by the international community that Hamas and other terrorist groups are disarmed – will also be agreed upon very soon.”

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When Israel woke up on October 7

In the years before October 7, Israel did what the world had done for eight decades – it lulled itself into believing that its enemies didn’t mean what they said. Israelis thought that if money went into Gaza, if Gazans could work in Israel, if Gaza’s economy improved, then Hamas, as Gaza’s ruler, wouldn’t want to throw that away… But Hamas attacked anyway, and Israel woke up. 

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