Now that the hostages have been released in the Gaza conflict, many analysts are scratching their heads and are saying to themselves ‘What now?’ Normally when similar conflicts have been resolved in the past, all kinds of background diplomacy work has taken place to find a workable solution after which the major political players have stepped in to ‘seal the deal’ Bt Trump and his regime have entirely rewritten this diplomatic rulebook as they have argued that previous attempts at conflict resolution had not worked so let s try the ‘Trump’ way. So now we have a situation in which the desired ‘end result’ ((release of prisoners, operation of a ceasefire) have taken place but nothing else is in place at all. Trump has grabbed lots of headlines which is all he really wanted to do but fundamental questions have been ignored. One such question is, of course, how to give Gaza a functioning government now that the Israeli forces have withdrawn. What is to be done about the marauding gangs of militia upon which Hamas as a ‘de facto’ government kept the lid but are now free to roam, loot and pillage. How is the reconstruction of Gaza to be organised and is Hamas to be disarmed leaving the ground clear for other armed groups in the area. Now we have good experience of what happens when a government is decapitated as the Americans have discovered with Iran, Syria and Afghanistan and that is a period of literal anarchy. Political analysts are saying that what is needed in Gaza are months of long, sustained and intelligent institution building but will Trump be remotely interested in doing any of this? For this reason, there is quite a lot of pessimism about the immediate future. Sky News reports that Donald Trump told world leaders the hardest part is over – but key parts of his 20-point peace plan remain unsettled. Not least, Hamas and Israel have not agreed on the details of Gaza’s postwar governance, the territory’s reconstruction and Israel’s demand that Hamas disarm. Negotiations over those issues could break down, and Israel has hinted it may resume military operations if its demands are not met. As Palestinians returned to the rubble where their homes once stood, Trump declared yesterday: ‘Rebuilding is maybe going to be the easiest part. I think we have done a lot of the hardest part because the rest comes together.’ Others were more tentative about the intricacies that lie ahead.’ Unfortunately, I think there are several potential points of failure going forward,’ said Mona Yacoubian, director of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The evening before yesterday I received an email from our closest Spanish friend enquiring how things were shaping up in the months following Meg’s death. She has had a certain amount of turmoil in her own life as well as she has had to organise care packages for her own mother but over a huge distance. Whilst she is reading this blog, this only gives a partial picture so she wanted to know a bit more from the inside, as it were. I replied with a fairly lengthy email and some photos that might be of some interest but I think I need to organise a period when we can have a good videochat with each other so that we can have a good heart-to-heart as they say.
Yesterday was the normal day for our domestic help to call around and we always have a lot to chat about as we share personal and domestic news with each other. Our domestic help has been excellent in gradually disposing of Meg’s clothing bit by bit and we are ging to allocate some time next week when we can look at some hats, scarves and gloves together that we keep in a cupboard in our hall, ready for when we step out. I went down into town and hunted out the coffee bar where two of my friends were partaking of their ‘Tuesday normal’ and we have transferred our allegiance temporarily because it is generally quieter and more pleasant than Wetherspoons, despite the price difference. I had gone down into town by car as I was running a bit short of time and, in any case, today is my Pilates day so I needed to get myself turned around to get down for that session. On my return, I made myself a quick lunch of mackerel on a bed of salad made tastier by a sprinkling of both 1000 Island dressing and also a touch of a piquant sweet chilli sauce which makes the whole dish incredibly quick and easy to prepare and helps me to recoup a little bit of last time. I was near the end of my dinner when the hair dresser called around but I had completely forgotten about this by not looking at my panning board. Nonetheless, I am always pleased to see and as it happens we have both suffered bereavements in the last year and my hairdresser has actually had to cope with the loss of two brothers and then had to clear out their effects single handed which must be quite a strain. So, we commiserate and try to share practical help with each other as we have known each other for years now. Now that the nights are drawing in and the it is getting dark sooner and sooner, I am thinking of ways in which I can help to alleviate any autumn or winer depressions. There is a condition known as SAD or ‘Seasonal Affective Disorder’ to which we ar are all subject a little during these winter months although some suffer more than others. I would not say that I personally het depressed but I am always pleased when the critical date of December 21st has come and gone as this marks the turning point when the days start to lengthen again. One solution is to buy a ‘light box’ and give yourself a dose of simulated bright sunshine for 30-60 minutes a day . Now I do not know whether this a complete fad or whether it is really useful piece of kit to buy – in any case, the result is bound to vary from one individual to another. I have looked on Amazon and can buy one for just over £20 so I am considering this.