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full screen Anders Persson, political scientist at Linnaeus University with a focus on the Israel-Palestine conflict. Archive image. Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT
That the cease-fire in Gaza is delayed is not particularly surprising – the process will be fringed with setbacks, believes Anders Persson, Israel-Palestine expert at Linnaeus University.
– I would think that the truce will be resumed quite soon.
Hamas was supposed to announce the names of the first three hostages to be released, but failed to do so in time. It is a violation of the agreement, but at the moment it is difficult to know whether it is a random reason or whether it is due to circumstances in the war-ravaged Gaza, Anders Persson assesses.
– It seems strange to an outside observer. But it may be because Gaza is cut off from the outside world and that it is therefore difficult to communicate. Hamas is also a very hierarchical and centralized organization, so they may need approval from top leaders and he may not be reachable, says Anders Persson, who emphasizes that it is not known how Hamas communicates internally.
The time violation should not have been dealt with so harshly, according to Persson. But Benjamin Netanyahu is keen to set the tone from the start, and show himself strong.
– It plays into his hands if he can show that he is tough against the other side. The fact that it is clear that it is Hamas that is breaking the terms also plays into his hands.
Anders Persson still believes that the parties will continue to work towards a ceasefire, but that the work will be fringed by crises. According to him, the major stumbling block is that the agreement contains many points where the parties still do not agree.
– They do not agree on who should rule Gaza, or the role of Hamas. There are a bunch of big elephants in the room that need to be negotiated later.