1、ISRAEL AND GAZA:FORCE ISFUTILECLAIRE YORKEJULY 31,2014COMMENTARYSince Israels Operation Protective Edge began on July 8,over 1,221 Palestinians and 56 Israelis have died inthe fighting.Among the Palestinian deaths,the majority have been civilian,and the toll on both sides continues to riseand the vi
2、olence shows no signs of subsiding.As Egypt tries to mediate between Israel and the Palestinian Authority(PA),in Paris U.S.Secretary of State John Kerry is working with foreign ministers from Britain,France,Germany,Italy,Turkey and Qatar to achieve a ceasefire.However,an end to the violence alone,th
3、ough essential,will not be enough.Aspast experience demonstrates,previous ceasefire agreements with Hamas such as those in 2008 and 2012 proved tobe stopgap measures,with repetitive refrains and hollow commitments that faltered when they no longer served theinterests of either side and which failed
4、to address the underlying grievances that fuel this conflict.Neither Israel norHamas can decisively win this conflict at the expense of the other:force is futile.Without a commitment to a morecomprehensive and creative political and socio-economic solution from all sides,history is destined to repea
