1、BUILDING A BETTER CEASEFIREFOR GAZAJONATHAN LINCOLNJULY 12,2023COMMENTARYIn 2005,after 38 years on the ground,Israel withdrew its settlers and soldiers from Gaza in a move that many hopedwould usher in a new era for this small strip of Palestinian territory along the Mediterranean Sea and possibly f
2、orIsraeli-Palestinian peace.For a variety of reasons,including missteps on both sides and attacks by Hamas and otherfactions against Israel,Gaza descended into chaos.Two years later,Hamas,an armed Palestinian group formally knownas the Islamic Resistance Movement and considered a terrorist organizat
3、ion by Israel,the United States,and others,seized control and expelled the Palestinian Authoritys security forces,who had controlled Gaza since the Israeliwithdrawal.The legacy of these two critical events is that Gaza today is among the more physically,politically,andeconomically isolated places on
4、 earth in addition to being among the most violent flashpoints between Israel and thePalestinians.But as much as Gaza represents some of the worst suffering of the conflict,current political circumstances are actuallyripe for concluding what could be a game-changing,long-term ceasefire between Israe
