THE United States revised the language in a draft United Nations Security Council resolution on Tuesday to back “an immediate cease-fire of roughly six weeks in Gaza together with the release of all hostages,” according to a Reuters report. Compared to earlier occasions when it successively vetoed three draft resolutions in the U.N. Security Council, two of which called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the U.S.’ latest move is a progress. With the number of Palestinian casualties from Israeli attacks in the latest round of conflicts in Gaza having reached 30,534 last Monday, as stated in a Xinhua report quoting a Hamas-run Health Ministry source, an immediate ceasefire in the region cannot be more urgent to prevent more bloodshed, something politicians in Washington have finally recognized. Yet the condition set by the U.S. on the ceasefire is rather harsh, as the hatred between the people trapped in Gaza and Israel is still deep, making it difficult for the release of all hostages. It would require the U.S., which has a huge influence on Israel, to make more efforts. Having aided Israel militarily for decades, the amount being as high as US$3.6 billion over the past few months, the U.S. doubtlessly has the highest persuasive power, among all foreign countries, to convince it to agree to a ceasefire. Besides, the U.S., as the world’s only superpower, is also in a position to work together with the Palestinian side for an early ceasefire. On Feb. 29, Hamas and Fatah met in Moscow, which, in the words of Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki, “should be followed by other meetings in the region soon.” All the meetings at such a critical time should be working toward peace in the region, which is the shared goal of all the peace-loving people of the world. The U.S. has recognized this and joined the chorus calling for peace. But lasting peace in Palestine can only be possible with the full, effective implementation of the two-state solution that will allow Palestinians to live in their homes. Otherwise, a temporary ceasefire will only serve as a prelude to another round of violence in the future. (China Daily) | 