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The day after a ceasefire was declared between Israel and Hamas last Wednesday, celebrations broke out in the Gaza Strip. Overall, 167 Palestinians were killed, of which a significant number were children, and over 1200 wounded during the bombing, dubbed by Israel as Operation Pillar of Defense. It was the worst attack by Israel since the 2008-2009 assault called Operation Cast Lead during which over 1,400 Palestinians were killed.

Many Palestinians saw this latest assault as a “war of choice” by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cement his position in the lead up to elections next year.

High level talks brokered by the US and Egypt resulted in the ceasefire that many hope will also pave the way for addressing the years-long Israeli blockade of Gaza.

The brief war has resulted in Hamas emerging as a victor in the eyes of many Gazans for standing up to Israel. Meanwhile, Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority, and leader of Hamas’ rival, Fatah, was seen as increasingly irrelevant.

However, Abbas, whose attempts to bring about a Palestinian state via security cooperation with Israel have not borne direct fruit, is leading talks at the United Nations for recognition of a watered-down Palestinian state. Significantly, yesterday, France, Switzerland, Denmark and Austria vowed support for the move, with the US, Israel and Germany opposed. The US went as far as threatening to withdraw Palestinian aid and UN funding if the vote succeeded.

GUEST: Jennifer Loewenstein, faculty associate in Middle East Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison