Update 20/5/2021: Ceasefire ends the terror in Gaza...for now. Accountability and trust remain in question:Joe Biden vowed to resupply Tel Aviv's Iron Dome missile defense system in the wake of 11 days of fighting with Palestinian militants in Gaza, after confirming a ceasefire deal had been reached between the two sides.© Reuters/Jonathan Ernst
US President Joe Biden gives remarks on the ceasefire.
Reiterating Washington's support for Israel's "right to defend itself against indiscriminate rocket attacks" in a brief national address on Thursday evening, Biden said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu"also shared with me his appreciation for the Iron Dome system, which our nations developed together and which has saved the lives of countless Israeli citizens, both Arab and Jew. I assured him of my full support to replenish Israel's Iron Dome system to ensure its defenses and security in the future. I send sincere condolences to all the families, Israeli and Palestinian, who have lost loved ones."Biden said Washington would work to provide "rapid humanitarian assistance" and aid reconstruction efforts in Gaza, where some 450 buildings were destroyed or severely damaged in Israeli strikes. This effort would be "in full partnership with the Palestinian Authority, not Hamas."
Update: 21/5/2021 2:23: Street parades and impromptu fireworks displays erupted in Palestinian cities early on Friday morning, even as the destruction toll of over 450 buildings and death and injury tally is still underway:
A group of human rights experts stated:"The international community must ensure that Israel, the occupying power, complies fully with the more than 30 UN Security Council resolutions and the hundreds of General Assembly resolutions of which it is in breach. A brand new diplomatic playbook is needed, which leaves behind realpolitik. A rights-based approach must guide the diplomacy of the international community to secure a just and durable solution."
Update: 21/5/2021 11:22: Israeli police storm al-Aqsa complex following the ceasefire in pursuit of worshippers who gathered to celebrate:
Footage released on social media showed Israeli police firing into crowds of Palestinian worshippers shortly after they had congregated for Friday prayers. Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said officers had been targeted by Palestinians who threw stones, and began "riot" suppressing measures.
At least 20 Palestinians have been wounded, with two being taken to hospital, according to Palestine Red Crescent. Reuters reported stones and molotov cocktails being thrown towards police.
Comment: Last summer, when the establishment partially lifted lockdowns and gave people a brief holiday from tyranny, protests erupted across much of the West; of particular note were the BLM riots. But this kind of reaction from people was actually predicted by some psychologists in the early days of the very first lockdown. Because it's human nature to want to relieve the stress that confinement creates. And so, now, following a year of lockdowns, with continued nonsensical curfews and restrictions, and a potentially bleak future up ahead, it's likely we will see something similar play out: