Ceasefire in Gaza - Deal brokered

The news that Israel and the Palestinians have agreed a ceasefire in Gaza must be welcomed even if that welcome is tempered by experience.

The carnage, some of it so very disproportionate, inflicted on the people of Gaza could not continue, nor could Hamas’s terror attacks on Israel.

The crisis had become a rallying point for Islamic extremists and, like it or not, fuelled the savagery of the Islamic State. Equally, it brought Israel’s commitment to the standards that define a civilised society into question. The indifference shown to the safety of Palestinian civilians tested the loyalty of Israel’s many allies to the very limit.