By Obi Jilani
Jubilation has been in short supply in the Middle East. So the celebrations in Tel Aviv and the West Bank are simply good news – with Hamas releasing 24 hostages and Israel exchanging 39 prisoners in turn.
Israel is going to face more censure from global allies – not that Netanyahu will care. And the anger that remaining hostage families feel towards him will probably spread among the Israeli public, as he struggles to achieve his (contradictory) objectives in this war.
British policy is subtly changing, under the new Foreign Secretary. on Friday David Cameron criticised the Israeli government for killing so many civilians, and openly questioned Netanyahu’s lack of political imagination and failure to find a political solution. Expect more of this.