A Daily Analysis
By Marc Schulman

June 19, 2008 Ceasefire Takes Effect

The cease fire in Gaza is now in effect. 18 hours have passedit has been kept by all sides. There is a growing sense that Hamas will do all in its power to make sure that it is kept. The only reasonable explanation that I have heard for entering the cease fire is due to the pressure that Egypt had exerted to convince Israel to enter into the agreement .

The sense is that the people on the streets of Gaza have very high expectations regarding the cease fire. Many believe that it isgoing to magically transform their lives. How it helps Israel, other then the people around Sderot, is unclear. Maybe it was the best of many bad options, but it is hard to believe that this was a good choice; only time will tell.