How a European song contest played into the latest flare-up between Israel and Gaza
By Loveday Morris and Loveday Morris Jerusalem bureau chief covering the Middle East Email Bio Follow Ruth Eglash Ruth Eglash Reporter covering Israel and the Palestinian territories Email Bio Follow May 7 at 12:27 PM JERUSALEM — A song contest may not seem like a trigger for military conflicts, but in the latest confrontation between militants in the Gaza Strip and Israel, Europe’s kitschiest and most widely watched music competition has played a starring role.
Hamas, the Palestinian military group that controls the Gaza Strip, said it saw a moment to pressure Israel to fulfill its demands under a longer-term truce, including easing trade restrictions on Gaza, where unemployment exceeds 50 percent. The enclave’s calculation appears to have paid off. When news of the rocket fire broke, Eurovision dominated the discussions of pundits on Israeli television channels. International teams were already arriving for next week’s show.
Hamas on Monday thanked Qatar for a pledge of $480 for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. The fact that $30 million in monthly Qatari assistance had not been making it into Gaza, as stipulated under a cease-fire agreement in March, had been a major bone of contention for Hamas. Retired Israeli Col. Michael Milstein, who served as an adviser on Palestinian affairs with the Israeli army, said he does not believe that Islamic Jihad is working without the coordination of Hamas. But he assessed that the flare-up had escalated organically and that Hamas had not been looking for a confrontation, although it took advantage of the timing when it came.
इंडिया ताज़ा खबर, इंडिया मुख्य बातें
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