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.

In his essay for the major German weekend newspaper “Welt am Sonntag” Ralf Fücks, founding director of LibMod, analyzes the current debate about Israel, the efforts to get rid of Germany’s special commitment to the Jewish state (“end of the cult of guilt”), and the long lines of hostility toward Israel on the “progressive” left.

Given the level of violence and hostility since 7 October, a political solution to the Israeli-Pales­tinian conflict seems a long way off. At the same time, it is more urgent than ever. Together with experts from the region, a new LibMod project aims to explore the oppor­tu­nities for a two-state solution and for security and cooper­ation in the Middle East. 

Gershon Baskin is one of the leading voices on the Middle East peace process and one of the few Israelis with direct contact to Hamas. For almost two decades, he was in contact with Ghazi Hamad, one of organ­i­sa­tion’s senior political leaders. In this interview, Baskin provides insights into Hamas’ ideology, its often presumed willingness to sign ceasefire agree­ments and into ways to combat the organi­za­tion’s cult of death.

A conver­sation between Kerstin Müller, former Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office, and Iran specialist Kasra Aarabi about 7 October, Iran as a sponsor of terrorist organi­za­tions in the Middle East, cooper­ation with Russia and the special role of the Iranian Revolu­tionary Guards. The EU should classify them as a terrorist organization.