The announcement of a 42-day ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday sparked hopes on both sides that an end to the fighting could be near. But news overnight that an Israeli cabinet vote on the deal had been stalled due to disagreements put the truce resolution back on hold — at least for now. Should both parties sign on the dotted line and ratify the agreement, questions about the future of the region still loom large, Northeastern University experts say.
As the deal is purportedly a product of a negotiation involving both the Biden administration and a special envoy of President-elect Donald Trump, many observers were quick to note the effect of having the incoming Republican administration at the table. “If this deal is accomplished, it will be because Trump, and his envoy, was able to use the leverage that he has, and the United States has, to twist arms, cajole and force concessions from all parties to end the conflict,” says Simon Rabinovitch, Stotsky Associate Professor in Jewish Historical and Cultural Studies at Northeastern. “And in comparison, Biden and his team were either unwilling or unable to use that leverage that was available to them.”
