Are at. With your expertise. Can you tell us what is happening, why it so important and if its possible that israel will allow people out . I tend to agree that we are in a holding pattern. The big story is when and if israel will launch its offensive in the north. Down at the Rafah Crossing, one of two crossings, this one is into egypt, is where the anticipation is around this morning. We had reports that there was going to be a temporary truce to allow a very, we are talking very small number of Palestinian Americans across into egypt. As you were saying in your introduction there, there are several thousand people at the Rafah Crossing waiting to go. But the temporary truce has not been agreed. We have actually had a statement from the israeli Prime Ministers for saying that there is no ceasefire. When we talk about a ceasefire, we only talk about a limited truce in terms of down there. There has been no sign of a Ceasefire Debt up in the north. Hamas still continued to fire rockets into israel. So the war between israel and hamas hasnt really changed in any of its dimensions over the past two or three days. The efforts are of course growing to try and open up the rafa crossing, the hope being that once it is open, aid can come in and people can come out. Once that has had been, it is a major first step into allowing more people out, allowing the hundreds of thousands of gazans who have come down from the north of gaza whether israel where israel is expected to have its offensive after israel warned them to go. They have different circumstances down in the south, still the blockade by israel is in place. There has been a tiny easing, food shortages, water shortages, electricity, etc. Where do they stay . All the shelters are taken out, people are staying in relative� s homes. It is a very combat situation down there. Egypt which controls the Rafah Crossing does not want a huge influx of palestinians, one for its own security, too, it doesnt want to be seen what would be seen in the muslim world is israels bidding. The fear amongst many arabs as once palestinians have left they may never go back. Egypt does not want to facilitate that. To facilitate that. Lets talk about the situation to facilitate that. Lets talk about the situation in to facilitate that. Lets talk about the situation in the to facilitate that. Lets talk about the situation in the north to facilitate that. Lets talk about the situation in the north of to facilitate that. Lets talk about | the situation in the north of israel and its border with lebanon. This Group Hezbollah who have been Firing Rockets into Northern Israel killed two people in the past day or so, to israelis. Just explain to us who has other word mack are, the influence they have, the control they have in lebanon and what they want to achieve. U,. , lebanon and what they want to achieve. , �. , achieve. Lebanon isnt controlled by an one, achieve. Lebanon isnt controlled by anyone. There achieve. Lebanon isnt controlled by anyone, there is achieve. Lebanon isnt controlled by anyone, there is a achieve. Lebanon isnt controlled by anyone, there is a caretaker anyone, there is a caretaker government. Part of that is the division between his brother word mack. It is more powerful than the lebanese army. It led a successful in hezbollah� s terms to drive which finally withdrew in 2000. Lebanon saw that as a huge success and they presented themselves as the only force in the arab world which had actually won at least one victory against israel. Six years later, there was a problem between israel and lebanon which led israel to evade lebanon, they pulverise the south of lebanon which is pretty much under control of hesse boller word mack. Hesse boller tries to have this balance between its role as what it sees as key resistance against israel but also within lebanon of not pushing so hard against israel that it upsets the whole status quo in lebanon such as it is. For example, unlike hamas which is Islamist Organisation which wants the islamist ideology to be imposed whether its rules, has boller word mack has never said that wants to be in control of lebanon, they have the ministries, they have huge clout about who is elected president and Prime Minister but they dont want to 100 carry the can for lebanon. So its a very, very difficult situation, a precarious balance for lebanon within lebanon and its relations outside, and the other side is that it is backed and the creation with iran. When people worry, when the americans worry, just arriving back in israel, Antony Blinken, the key issue here is trying to lock down is that there is no further spill over in this war. Obviously everyone looks towards lebanon, his brother wont take serious offensive without iran but at the moment,. Iran but at the moment,. Israel has made iran but at the moment,. Israel has made it iran but at the moment,. Israel has made it clear iran but at the moment,. Israel has made it clear that iran but at the moment,. Israel has made it clear that it iran but at the moment,. Israel has made it clear that it does iran but at the moment,. Israel has made it clear that it does not want a war with them. They have seen the us moving air plane carriers, big warships. The us moving air plane carriers, big warships big warships. Gas, that is essentially big warships. Gas, that is essentially a big warships. Gas, that is essentially a warning big warships. Gas, that is essentially a warning to l big warships. Gas, that is essentially a warning to other outside players that want to get involved. Less about the Battle In Gaza but the message to iran really that do not cross this line, we will take it very, very seriously. fix, that do not cross this line, we will take it very, very seriously. Take it very, very seriously. A few moments you take it very, very seriously. A few moments you are take it very, very seriously. A few moments you are talking take it very, very seriously. A few moments you are talking about i take it very, very seriously. A few moments you are talking about egypt and what you jet once or doesnt want. People are also asking, is it safe to travel to egypt at the moment . I think it is safe to travel to egypt. None of the arab states around gaza and israel are likely to get actively involved in a war, lebanon may be drawn into it as we were just saying. But egypt has had the longest peace treaty back to 1978 with israel. It is, in conjunction with israel, it very much controls the borders around gaza and hamas. It is trying to play a mediator to bring the factions, hamas and in the occupied west bank together, it has continue with that mission and has been controlled in mediation now to try and bring a ceasefire, to try and get talks going on at this age i think its too early to bring any fruit. You will see across the arab world and muslim world major process in support of the palestinians and in support of the palestinians and in support of the palestinians and in support of hamas, if you went to cairo, if you went to some areas where those protests are going to be very large then people travelling need to be careful about the security, to have concern of that. In terms of egypt directly being involved in a war with israel, that isnt going to happen. What aboutjordan . People are asking if its safe to travel tojordan. Another neighbouring country to israel, previously enemies, we have seen thejordan king involved in trying to negotiate some kind of,. Its a very similar story, jordan signed a peace treaty with israel having participated in at least two wars against israel, but its role is in some ways more complicated than egypts in that egypt returned to it from israel. It doesnt have a large proportion of palestinians. Jordan, essentially, its very difficult to gauge exactly the numbers but it still has a huge Palestinian Refugee population and a large palestinian population and a large palestinian population who identifies as palestinian as much asjordanian. Its a real tinderbox, king abdullah, his father had struggled throughout their range to control because. I mean, if you look outside of Palestinian Territories, this strongest palestinian feeling and strongest number of people is in jordan. King abdullah is going the same that his father did as has happened with egypt, a Mediation Role because of its relationship with israel, because of the states being so high forjordan and it is always been seen by the west is a west friendly country. It depends hugely on western Financial Support in order to survive. So, again, hugely on western Financial Support in orderto survive. So, again, it will play, as the story continues, an important Mediation Role. It will also be trying very hard to keep a lid on protests within its own country. Notjust palestinians, country. Not just palestinians, islamist, country. Notjust palestinians, islamist, it has a very strong islamic force politically, that has seen protest in the past, violence, that could break out as this continues. If the Gaza Offensive goes ahead, and there are many, many more casualties a amongst palestinians of we have seen so far, then we will see this become more and more intense. Then we will see this become more and more intense. Obviously we have talked a lot about and more intense. Obviously we have talked a lot about hamas and more intense. Obviously we have talked a lot about hamas and and more intense. Obviously we have talked a lot about hamas and who talked a lot about hamas and who they are over the past week. Israel is at war with hamas, they want to crush them and wipe them out, it was hamas that launch this murderous attack on israel where 11100 israel is an otherforeign attack on israel where 11100 israel is an other foreign nationals were killed just over a week ago. They have taken 199 people hostage. Explain a little bit more about the hamas leadership. We have had over the past few days that they have killed the leader of hamas in gaza but there is a differentiation between hamas Militant Wing and the hamas political wing. Lets talk about the Militant Wing and who they want to destroy. Want to destroy. Yes, they havent killed the actual want to destroy. Yes, they havent killed the actual leader, want to destroy. Yes, they havent killed the actual leader, they want to destroy. Yes, they havent killed the actual leader, they have| killed the actual leader, they have killed the actual leader, they have killed some senior members who they say were directly involved in the assault on israel. So you have a leadership outside Political Leadership outside Political Leadership in exile, essentially, Ismail Haniyeh is the leader, and they have shown more readiness, as you would expect, from the Political Leadership to have negotiations and move away from hamas which is saying it is working towards the total construction of israel. It is blown hot and cold but there have been times when that leadership has essentially said that it would settle, if the 1967 borders were returned to and the occupied Palestinian Territories were given to a palestinians of a formal state that they would accept a truce, perhaps a hundred year truce. That kind of conversation has died away over the past few years as the Peace Process has been stalled. So you have that element, as in any organisation like this there and different strands within it, then you have in gaza, essentially a Military Leadership which is much more hard core, you have Mohammed Deif the leader there, the administrative leader and these are people whove shown no of any quarter with israel and still believe that a Military Solution is the only way to go. They still believe, as they are busy trying to do in this assault, to try and cause so much pain and hurt to israel that israel will either bow and leave. There is the greatest hope. Or will be pressured into compromise is propping up the right word but in giving the palestinians more than properly what is expecting the hamas leadership or whoever, they will feel that they have made their point. As we say, israel has vowed the total obliteration of hamas but they are at the moment are definitely in the lead. They have the upper hand as far as hamas is concerned. They would be, you know, giving a sense that what they have done has change the status quo that has existed all of these years. Nothing else have done that. Through their actions. They will claim, this is what they will try to say, they havent killed any civilians. Anyone in israel is guilty, that is their way of looking at it. The hamas leadership doesnt talk in such black and white terms. So we are talking about very different layers within hamas which are definitely not at odds, at the moment, but we could see, as this progresses, more of the division. At the end of this process, at the end of the war, i think the hamas Political Leadership, the Political Leadership in the political west bank will try and exert themselves in terms of looking towards the future and looking towards the future and looking back to a two state solution. Hamas is a prescribed Terrorist Organisation in the us, the eu Around The World. Terrorist organisation in the us, the eu Around The World. When we talk about the the eu Around The World. When we talk about the political the eu Around The World. When we talk about the political side the eu Around The World. When we talk about the political side of the eu Around The World. When we talk about the political side of it, l talk about the political side of it, is that one in the same thing. In the uk, originally, the armed is that one in the same thing. Ii the uk, originally, the armed wing was described as terrorist and then two years ago, hamas itself is an organisation as a whole was described as terrorist. I think at the moment, certainly the us estimation, it doesnt make any distinction. But if there are going to be negotiations, if there are going to be talks, hamas, to some degree, will have to be involved. The hamas Political Leadership is unlikely to be destroyed unless israel is going to go on a mission, we dont know this is, to kill is male hernia Ismail Haniyeh, but its a difficult position at the moment. As far as palestine right now, they see hamas is the only viable leadership in the occupied territory, as far as Mahmoud Abbas is concerned, even the occupied west bank. We are seeing that new armed groups have been emerging in the past year and a half as israel has been going in a military raids almost daily there have been clashes. In response to a whole wave of killings inside israel by the palestinian government. We have seen these new groups arise. And they and hamas are the ones at the moment who will be calling the shots. We heard from president Mahmoud Abbas was yesterday saying that hamas doesnt represent the Palestinian People. He will hold to that but at the moment that voice is drowned out. Ok. Lets talk about the that voice is drowned out. Ok. Lets talk about the palestinian that voice is drowned out. Ok. Lets talk about the Palestinian People i talk about the Palestinian People who live in gaza and the west bank. People are asking is palestine a country . Was palestine ever country . Its not formally a country at the moment. There are some countries Around The World who recognise it as Around The World who recognise it as a state that it has not been formally recognised by the un. It has a Nonmember Observer Status at the un since 2012, we talk about president Mahmoud Abbas, that gives us a sense of the head of state. But it still is very much. On the whole issue of the Peace Process was to set up a viable palestinian state, that doesnt exist. The difficulty over that was the palestinians never believe that what they were being offered was anything close to what they had lost. The times were ill or close back in the early 2000, back in the late 1990s, the palestinians in the end rejected what they were offered because they believe that itjust didnt come near to the boundaries of what they believed they should be given. It wasnt that they rejected the idea of a two state solution, it wasnt they rejected that, they werent satisfied with what they were being offered. Palestine is a state, i mean, as an entity in the middle east, it is existed for a very long time, undera east, it is existed for a very long time, under a series of empires, the roman empire, from the 16th century to the First World War as a monday and britain up until 19117 when britain withdrew. And then of course, there was the decision to divide what was palestine into israel and into an arab state. Israel and into an arab state. Israel declared independence and then there was a war as the arab state tried to take over the whole area that they had lost. There hasnt been palestine as a country in modern times but has a na