The long road to reconciliation

The agreement between Israel and Hezbollah to sign a ceasefire has raised hopes that it could have a conciliatory effect on other long-standing conflicts between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip and between Russia and Ukraine.

Lebanese people return to the city of Tyre on November 28, a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect. (Source: AP)

Reality shows that after a long period of bloody conflict, all parties involved feel tired. Meanwhile, the international context has changed with Mr. Donald Trump, who advocates resolving the above “hot spots” as soon as possible, about to return to the White House.

It is therefore no surprise that the idea of peace talks has been increasingly emerging recently. On December 1, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said: “There are talks going on behind the scenes, and a deal can be reached” with Hamas. Earlier, a high-level Hamas delegation had traveled to Cairo, Egypt, to discuss proposals for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

With Ukraine, from a tough stance, President Volodymyr Zelensky began to adjust when he first mentioned the possibility that the country could sign a ceasefire agreement with Russia. According to Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Gennady Gatilov, Russia is ready for dialogue to end the conflict in Ukraine if US President-elect Donald Trump initiates negotiations.

But the past shows that overcoming the hatred that builds up in long-running conflicts is not easy. Despite his commitment to a ceasefire with Hezbollah, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that it did not mean the end of the war. Netanyahu even threatened to “enforce this ceasefire with an iron fist.”

The differences between Russia and Ukraine are not easy to resolve. In order to sign a ceasefire agreement, Ukraine believes that it must be placed under the “security umbrella” of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Meanwhile, Russia’s condition for any peace agreement is that Ukraine not join NATO.

The spirit of reconciliation is on the rise. But from idea to reality is a long road.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/thoa-thuan-ngung-ban-israel-hezbollah-con-duong-dai-hoa-giai-296243.html