Ban Ki-moon weighs long-term humanitarian ceasefire
Ban Ki-moon weighs long-term humanitarian ceasefire, Times of Israel, Avi Issacharoff, July 21, 2014
UN chief has plan based on Egyptian ceasefire, but for now, few are on board
The Hamas spokesman in Gaza, Sami Abu Zuhri, said Monday that the international efforts are meant to “save the defeated occupation. The Resistance will not respond to pressure, and will impose its demands.”
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addresses the United Nations Security Council during an emergency meeting in New York to discuss the situation in the Middle East, July 10, 2014. (photo credit: Don Emmert/AFP)
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is weighing the possibility of announcing on Tuesday in Cairo a long-term humanitarian ceasefire, in the presence of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and US Secretary of State John Kerry, Palestinian sources told The Times of Israel.
Ban plans to first present an initiative based on the Egyptian ceasefire proposal, with the addition of Egypt giving security guarantees for the opening of the Rafah crossing, with PA forces present. In addition, Gaza residents would enjoy the easing of restrictions on goods coming into the Strip from Israel. There would be a mechanism to transfer the salaries of Hamas government clerks in an organized fashion, distinguishing between those who worked in Hamas’s civil offices and those who work in its military wing.
But it’s not clear that the UN chief’s plan will be implemented. For now, there is no Egyptian agreement about border crossing guarantees, and Cairo again demanded that Hamas first stop firing, and only after would the other issues be discussed. Hamas is not responding positively to the initiative, either. It is still unclear whether Ban will declare his ceasefire on Tuesday.
But the UN secretary-general did manage to convince Abbas during their meeting to join his call for the truce.
In order to advance the initiative, Ban is expected to arrive in Israel Tuesday, after he met Sunday with Abbas and Qatar’s emir, Hamid bin Khalifa II. Ban will arrive Monday in Cairo to meet with President Abdal-Fattouh el-Sissi, at the same time US Secretary of State John Kerry arrives.
State Department Spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Sunday that the US is “deeply concerned about the risk of further escalation, and the loss of more innocent life.” She also said that her government believes that a ceasefire should begin as soon possible, based on the November 2012 understandings reached after Operation Pillar of Defense.
She added that Kerry is working to advance the Egyptian ceasefire framework, and will arrive in the region for that purpose.
In New York, the UN Security Council expressed “serious concern” about Gaza’s rising civilian death toll and demanded an immediate end to the fighting following an emergency session.
The Hamas spokesman in Gaza, Sami Abu Zuhri, said Monday that the international efforts are meant to “save the defeated occupation. The Resistance will not respond to pressure, and will impose its demands.”
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WarSclerotic 
July 21, 2014 at 5:44 PM
Ban Ki-moon, John Kerry, and the rest of the appeasers need to stay out of this conflict.
Neither side wants a ceasefire right now, yet these diplomats continue to make fools of themselves.
And let’s not forget it was the US and the UN that encouraged the disastrous unilateral withdraw from Gaza in 2005 in the first place! That’s why we are in this mess right now!
July 21, 2014 at 10:50 PM
When people are slaughtered by the thousends / when genocides are taking place in Somalia, in Syria, in North Korea – then the UN is silent and Mr Bankimoon stays at home…..When Israel is attacked and finally hits back at the coward beasts of Hamas etc who are hiding behind civilians – then the emergency sessions at the UN start and the disgracefull, foolish puppet on strings Bankimoon travels around and spreads lies against the Jews. The UN has proven a thousand times to be a Jew hating, disgraceful body, run by muslims who today are terrorizing the whole world …The one and only God – the God of Israel – is mocking this disgracefull body and HE will pay them back what they’ve done and do to Israel – woe, woe to them !
July 21, 2014 at 11:23 PM
It’s amazing to see the widespread demonstrations against Israel breaking out in so many countries around the globe. Evil has surely spread itself far and wide. It’s as if ‘evil’ is scared. It knows it cannot beat Israel in battle so it opens fronts on the world stage and in the court of public opinion hoping to tie Israel’s hands.
This time could be different. Folks all over are beginning to look at this conflict in a different light, the light of truth. Let’s hope this is so.