– Is the Cease-Fire Doomed?

Residents doubt longevity of ceasefire
By Abbas Al Lawati, Staff Reporter

Dubai: A tenuous ceasefire brokered by the international community between Israel and the Hezbollah came into effect on Monday.

With the guns falling silent on the first day, Gulf News asked Dubai residents whether the ceasefire was likely to hold and who would likely violate it.

Most doubted that the ceasefire would last, but a few were more optimistic.

Reem, 28, from Tunisia, said she hoped that the ceasefire would last, but admitted doubts that it would.

"I don't think the violence will stop. The US and Israel are one country, and as long as the US wants war Israel will want war," she said.

Indian national Sajith Kumar, 30, an IT technician, agreed that the ceasefire was unlikely to last long.

"After the losses Israel suffered from Hezbollah on the last day of the war, it will not stand down", he said, adding that Israel is "probably using the ceasefire as an excuse to prepare for more strikes on Lebanon".

Indian national Shaji Chacko, 32, expected the ceasefire to last, saying it "must not be violated".

"The United Nations should take military action against any side that violates the ceasefire. They need to set an example. Otherwise, no one will respect ceasefires," he said.

Julia Voroboyva, a Russian shop assistant, agreed that the ceasefire would last "because it must".

"If not, it is probably be the beginning of another world war, since Iran and other states are likely to intervene," she said.

British national Alan Green, a general manager, doubted that the ceasefire would last but said he didn't expect to see a full scale war again, adding that "if Israel continues the killing, the whole world is going to turn against it,"

"The war of attrition will continue," he said, blaming the "lack of trust between the two sides" for a potential renewal of hostilities.

Jordanian cook Adel Abdul Latif, 25, said that the ceasefire was only temporary, and agreed that a small scale armed conflict would continue.

"Israel wants war with the Arabs, and until it achieves its objectives it won't back down," he said, adding that Israel would use the "temporary" calm to prepare and plan "the next attack".

"Israel was arrogant and overconfident in thinking it could crush the resistance [Hezbollah] easily. And now they will plan better to strike again," he said.

Dutch national Sjenny Guilloux, 46, said the ceasefire "depends on whether it is enforced by the world", but said that as long as Israel is supported by major powers like the US and the UK it would do "whatever it wanted".

"You can't just take over another country. Israel just wants to occupy more land," she said, adding that Israel was likely to violate the ceasefire.

Blanche Meijer, 20, also Dutch, called Israel "greedy" but said that Hezbollah was also likely to violate the ceasefire. "I wouldn't even give it a week. Unfortunately both sides want to continue the war."