The only viable path

A ceasefire or a truce or whatever could be in the works between Israel and Hamas in Gaza through the mediation of Cairo. Both sides stand to gain from an end to the fighting between them as both sides sustained casualties and damage during the last few months, albeit the Palestinian side suffered more.

Israel is hinting to Hamas that ending the "war" between the two sides would lead to easing or lifting altogether, the siege on Gaza. Ending the suffocating blockade on the Gaza Strip could open the door wide open for the reconstruction of Gaza and as Israel says, it could turn Gaza into the Singapore of the Middle East! Yet, the issue is even more complicated since the Palestinian Authority does not exactly cherish the idea of a separate regime in Gaza enjoying relaxed relations with Israel. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas sees this outcome as a prelude to the creation of a mini Palestinian state in the Gaza Strip and its separation from the West Bank. Abbas has warned in a recent speech in Ramallah against this possibility by saying "no to a state in Gaza and no Palestinian state without Gaza".

Of course it is always tempting for Hamas to make their territory free of Israeli siege as the Israeli blockade enforced against it since 2007 has been most crippling and too much to bear. Hamas is reportedly offering a "hudna" of sorts without specifying its length or its import, hoping that Israel would take the bite and end its merciless aerial bombardment of the people of the territory.

Hamas may have wanted a breathing space. Israel may also be seeking a breathing space since its military concentration in the north of the country is leaving it with little or no military presence along the Israeli-Gaza border.

Whatever is the case, whether the proposed truce or ceasefire or hudna is going to take place or not, the fundamentals governing the Israeli-Palestinian relations would remain the same. No matter how and where the Palestinian conflict twists or turns, the two-state solution remains the one and only viable solution.