In the Jewish religion the 9th day of the month of Av, which starts at sunset, is a day of fasting and mourning. I’m sure that Iran and Hezbollah know this. Everyone will be expecting an attack on Israel in the next 24 plus hours. Will it happen? Only the Islamic terrorists really know.
Meanwhile, Hamas has decided not to attend the next session of talks aimed at reaching a cease-fire and hostage release. Pundits and diplomats alike were all talking about that get together as offering an opportunity for ending the war. My personal opinion is that Hamas is not actually interested in any halt to hostilities that they cannot present as a total victory over Israel. That means a number of their demands, like releasing arch-terrorist Marwan Barghouti, and unconditional withdrawal from Gaza, must be met. The US once embarked on an open ended war against terror (silly thing to do if you cannot formulate what constitutes victory). They quietly backed away from that campaign after killing Osama Ben-Laden. Al-Qaida still exists as an Islamic terror organization. American troops are still stationed in Iraq to monitor conditions (and ensure that no Islamic terror group becomes too powerful).
Terrorism based on religion is rarely open to making a real compromise. My personal feeling is that no one should try to negotiate with them. The top American admiral who talked to the Chinese and North Koreans at the end of the Korean War wrote a book, How Communists Negotiate, about talking to others who are ideologically motivated. It’s frustrating.
Hamas (and also Hezbollah, and Iran) doesn’t play by the same rules. Don’t expect them to honor agreements. True, the people they rule will suffer. But unless those people decide to try an alternate path, the best I think you can do is treat them like you would treat a serious disease and keep them isolated (quarantined).
Wetherhorn 