Samer Abdelrazzak Sinijlawi

No one in Gaza is under the illusion that peace is fully here. The cease-fire agreement announced on Wednesday in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, repre­sents the first phase of a U.S.-brokered plan: Hostil­ities are to pause, the Israeli military will pull back to agreed-on positions and Hamas is to release all hostages in exchange for Pales­tinian prisoners. Human­i­tarian access is expected to increase, and more detailed arrange­ments for recon­struction, gover­nance and security will be negotiated in subse­quent phases. While these steps are signif­icant, the hard work now begins — turning promises into realities, and ensuring that rebuilding does not stop at concrete and steel but extends to trust and coexistence.

When President Emmanuel Macron sat down with Israel’s Channel 12, he declared that appointing a vice president to the Pales­tinian Authority was a suffi­cient reform step to justify France’s recog­nition of a Pales­tinian state. With those words, Macron handed Mahmoud Abbas a free pass—applauding a cosmetic gesture while ignoring the single reform Pales­tinians have been demanding for nearly two decades: the right to vote in free presi­dential and legislative elections.

Samer Abdel­razzak Sinijlawi grew up during the first intifada. He was imprisoned as a teenager. It was in prison that he got to know the other, the Israeli view of the conflict. Despite the current political situation, he believes in a peaceful solution between Israelis and Pales­tinians — with the help of a dialog based on trust and mutual empathy. The West can also contribute, he says.