The Franciscan says that the agreement had brought “a little hope” but now “everyone is losing it” with the new climb between Hamas and Israel. And he warns: “No one really knows” what could happen. Trump threatens the “hell” if “all” is not released the prisoners, the Israeli right presses so that military actions are resumed by the Arab Front against the exodus of the Palestinians of the Strip.
Jerusalem (Asianews) – “The truce had brought some hope to the population, now it is losing it: all, Israelis and Palestinians, are concerned about what could happen on Saturday, February 15 at 12 noon, local time, local time, The deadline set by Israel for the release of Hamas prisoners, because “nobody really knows,” he tells Asianews Fr. Ibrahim Faults, Vicar General of the Custody of the Holy Land in Jerusalem, and explains that “there are threats from all parties; It is a very strong tension. “The expectations are high, the climate is tense and there is a widespread sensation of discomfort.” “There is a specific risk – warns the priest – that the war returns and, therefore, people are wrong, they no longer have strength, it is horrible.”
“Not only in Gaza – says the Faults – but also in the West Bank there are many problems, there are thousands of homeless people, a terrible and dramatic reality.” “The hope of all – continues – is that the war does not return to Gaza and that ends in the West Bank ”, where there are continuous military operations and episodes of violence; The second, in the siege of the Nativity, but never similar. for two villages. “
Meanwhile, diplomacy continues to work. King Jordano met yesterday in Washington with US President Donald Trump, who had previously received Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the first foreign leader since he assumed the position. In these same hours the White House tenant has launched the project of a volunteer exodus of the Palestinians of the Strip, which under American control will become a “Riviera” on the Mediterranean. The project has the support of the Israeli leadership, but is rejected strong The strip that need medical attention – to the Saudi heir prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) and Egypt is a dry “no” to the United States plan.
In response, just a few hours ago but without giving more details, Egypt said that he had prepared an alternative project to the American, which qualifies as an “integral vision” for the reconstruction of Gaza without evicting its inhabitants. Riad, on the other hand, has reiterated his position – in which he has insisted several times in recent days – that the birth of a Palestinian State is an essential condition for the normalization of relations with Israel, a goal of the policy of the policy of Trump in the Middle East in the context of the “Abraham agreements”.
In the military front, meanwhile, the Israeli army has summoned its reservists in preparation for a possible resumption of fighting in Gaza if Hamas does not fulfill the deadline set for the release of hostages. All probability an escalation would mark the end of the fragile truce that was signed on January 19 and that, despite everything, has allowed a certain respite to the population of Gaza.
Trump threatened to “unleash hell” in the strip if they don’t release “all hostages.” The Israeli prime minister also confirmed that they would begin “intense fighting” if Hamas does not respect the deadline, but did not specify whether the condition is the release of all prisoners or those agreed in the first phase of the Alto El Fuego. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich presses for a military escalation, some government sources say that the liberation of “all” is expected to hostage or otherwise there will be war.
“Christians, like everyone else, live these hours with concern,” says Fr. Failures, who re -raises fears about an exodus: “The problem – he explains – is that many Christians, especially in the Bethlehem area , they are leaving. People flee in search of a future, a better life than they can expect to stay here. Everyone says – concludes – that we have no future on this land and that’s why they leave. ”
One of the most controversial episodes of recent days was the raid of the Israeli police in the historic Bookshop Educational Library, in East Jerusalem, and the arrest of the owners Ahmad and Mahmoud Muna, without a clear accusation. The two Palestinians were released after two nights in custody, but are under house arrest and will not be allowed to enter the bookstore, which will remain closed during the next 20 days. According to the Israeli authorities, inside the bookstore there were volumes containing “incitement and support for terrorism”, including a Children’s Book in Arabic entitled “From the river to the sea.” A phrase that is associated with the Earth in dispute from the Jordan to the Mediterranean and that would prefigure the elimination of Israel.
The arrests caused harsh reactions of activist groups, the cultural community and the Western diplomatic circles, which consider that the measure is disproportionate. Share these fears Bernard Sabella, former Fatah representative and executive secretary of the Palestinian refugees of the Council of Iglesias de Oriente Medio: “The situation here is becoming increasingly terrible and people are exhausted. The most recent incident, with the search of the didactic library – says the teacher A Asianews – He left many stunned. “For the first time in my life I feel very pessimistic, because I don’t see exit” and, he warns, if US President Donald Trump continues with this line “The worst scenarios are yet to come.”
(In the photo, a moment of prayer in the parish of the Sagrada Familia, in Gaza)
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