An elusive peace 

Hostilities between Israel and Hamas have resumed after the visit of U.S. President Joe Biden. 
So soon? In response to a pair of rocket attacks overnight, the Israeli military on Saturday launched an attack on what it said was a Hamas military site in the Gaza Strip. The hostilities resumed between both sides only hours after U.S. President Joe Biden concluded a visit to the territories, where there have been decades of conflict between Israel and Palestine. 

How did Biden’s visit go? 

While there’s been tension in the region recently, Biden’s three-day trip to Israel and the occupied West Bank was without incident. Biden met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank and expressed support for Palestinian independence. The U.S. president, however, noted that conditions are not ripe for restarting peace talks. 

Hamas was unimpressed by Biden’s visit, and on the resumed hostilities, its spokesman, Hazem Qassem, vowed that the group would “continue our legitimate struggle” and stand up against the U.S. support of Israel. The militant group, which criticized Abbas for meeting with Biden and reiterating his support for a peace process with Israel, dismissed Biden’s expressions of sympathy for the Palestinians, describing the United States as “a partner in the aggression on our people”.