Following the Egyptian-brokered cease-fire, the UAE requested a closed-door Security Council meeting (which took place on Monday, August 8) about the strike on Gaza.

The immediate cause of the current situation was the August 1 arrest of a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) on August 1. A 16 year-old was killed during the operation. By August 5, Israeli caretaker prime minister Yair Lapid—from the center-left Yesh Atid party—decided to launch offense strikes on Gaza, called Operation Breaking Dawn. Israel claims it was under threat by PIJ.

I guess you could say it’s good they care, but what the UAE publicly called for is essentially a return to the status quo, i.e., the open air prison that is Gaza:

“The United Arab Emirates has emphasized the need to restore calm to the Gaza Strip, reduce escalation, and preserve civilian lives”

Sure, you’ve got to first stop the fighting, but there’s little evidence to suggest the UAE will want more than that. Plus, you could make the argument that the more quickly things calm down, the better business will be.

The Abraham Accords have further normalized relations between Israel and many Arab countries, including the UAE. They are currently enjoying the money coming in from Israeli tourists. From the start of the accords in September 2020 to last October, 250,000 Israeli tourists had visited the Gulf country.

From what the public gleaned from the meeting, the usual positions were given by the usual suspects, points like this one:

“American UN ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield supported ‘Israel’s right to defend its people against terrorist threats’”

The US has a talent for having the most blatant double-standards when it comes to Israel.

Breaking Dawn A Win for Israel?

Not only did Israel successfully target resistance members, Palestinians lost 44 (the AP reports), which includes 15 children, in three days. Some of those may have been killed by rockets misfired from Gaza—it isn’t clear. It is also reported that almost a third of the roughly 300 who have been injured are children.

The cease-fire reportedly includes a pledge from Egypt to “work for the release of two senior Islamic Jihad detainees held by Israel, but,” the AP notes, “there were no guarantees this would happen.”

Recall that Gazans continue to be cut off from normal life, from using the sea, from making a living. 80 percent of young people are unemployed.

Recall that Egypt and Israel, which have relatively good relations, have a blockade on Gaza.

Recall that the occupation is a constant, enduring threat to Palestinian life. A few days before this recent strike—on July 29—Amjad Nashaat Abu Alia was killed by either an Israeli settler or the IDF (most likely a settler) during a protest against settler violence.

They hadn’t even finished rebuilding Gaza from last year’s war. Now, they have to start again.

Muslimskeptic