TIMELINE FOR CEASEFIRE BETWEEN HAMAS AND ISRAEL

On Tuesday, head of Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, revealed that the movement had received from Israel a timeline that detailed a ceasefire between the Gaza Strip and Israel. The timeline was brought to Hamas through Egyptian intelligence who had met with Israel to negotiate a Gaza ceasefire. 

One of the main points of contention in said negotiations is the handling of prisoners in both territories. Gaza has expressed frustrations with sanctions imposed on Hamas prisoners after the stabbing of two guards by Hamas inmates. The greatest of these sanctions has been the jamming of inmates electronic devices, preventing communication. These has prompted Hamas inmates to threaten a hunger strike. 

On the other side, Israel has been working towards the release of two Israeli soldiers and two Israeli citizens as well as the return of the remains of two Israeli soldiers. Hamas has stated that an agreement has not been reached concerning these demands. 

Israeli officials have not yet decided if they will agree to the demands of Hamas, however a ceasefire is much needed as Hamas continues to launch rockets from Gaza into Israel. Just last week Hamas launched rockets landed in central Israel wounding an entire family.

Hamas was founded in 1987 after the first intifada. The goal of Hamas is to reclaim Israel from the Israelis in order to liberate Palestine. Hamas has a history of being confrontational and violent.

source: The Jerusalem Post

ANTI-HAMAS PROTESTS IN GAZA LEAD TO CLAIMS OF FATAH LED CONSPIRACY

Citizens of the Gaza strip have recently taken to the streets to call out the Hamas leadership of the area in regards to the dire economic condition of the region. Hamas did not take action to stop the protests initially as they believed that the Gaza citizens would be protesting Israel. Once they discovered the true nature of the protests, they sent out armed officers to disperse the crowds. Officers did so by firing live ammunition. Countless were wounded and many journalists, human rights activists, and Fatah supporters were detained. Hamas quickly asserted that the uprising was the work of Fatah leadership, as they were quick to voice their support for the protests. It is the belief of Hamas that the Fatah incited he protests in an effort to bring about an infatada that would overthrow the Hamas leadership and allow Fatah to take control of Gaza.

Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas

After the PR nightmare that Hamas suffered, they hoped that the citizens of Gaza would protest against Israel on Land Day, which they did. 40,000 Palestinians through everything from rocks to hand grenades at the Israeli border, prompting the IDF to respond with crowd dispersal methods that resulted in the death of two Palestinians and injury for roughly one hundred others.

Toameh's article leans towards supporting Fatah over Hamas. Hamas PR is referred to as propaganda and their cries of "conspiracy" are placed between skeptical quotation marks. Given the controversial history of Hamas and it's acts of terror directed at Israel, it is unsurprising that the author would side with the far more cooperative and productive Fatah. In an article for The Gaurdian, author Oliver Holmes takes a stance similar to that of Toameh's, specifically calling attention to Hamas' forceful response to the protests. He additionally makes mention of how United States President Donald Trump's cutting of Palestinian aid has been a contributing factor to the economic woes of Gaza.

Source: Jerusalem Post Article What's Happening in Gaza? 

Israeli Celebrities and Politicians Weigh in on Sela's Post

Television Presenter Rotem Sela made waves on social media recently with an Instagram post calling out Culture Minister Miri Regev. Sela took umbrage with comments Regev made concerning Kahol Lavan political party. The comments made suggested that were the Kahol Lavan party to gain significant political power in Israel, then they would cooperate with Arabs and turn Israel into an Arab state.

Sela's Instagram post lambasted Regev for suggesting that Arabs did not deserve a voice in Israel, asking the question "what's the problem with Arabs"?

Sela's post drew a great deal of ire and support. Quite notably, Hollywood star Gal Gadot came out in favor of Sela's way of thinking stating that Israeli Jews should "Love thy neighbor as thyelf". She went on to call Sela an inspiration. Gadot has been flippant and vague when it comes to her political affiliations in the past, making this endorsement all the more shocking and powerful.

It is worth noting that Gadot has even stayed tight lipped on her political leanings when her breakout film, Wonder Woman, was banned in Lebanon, after a social media firestorm started around her time spent in the Israeli Defense Force.

However, Sela's detractors have been equally significant, the most prominent of which has been Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who made the now controversial comment that "...Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people, and them alone".

Regev's comments were most likely in reaction to or inspired by a statement made by Kahol Lavan back in January of this year, when party leader Yair Lapid voiced the party's desire to amend the Nation-State Bill by adding a Civil Equality article. In a speech on March 7th, Lapid made further statements detail injustices towards the Palestinian people and how Israel should go about making peace with Palestine.

Among the many responses to the stir cause by the post, there has been a persistent push for Arabs and Palestinians to gain more recognition and representation in Israeli politics. The fact that they make up 21% of the population of Israel, yet are still treated as something other than full citizens in certain respects has drawn criticism from many.