In the coming days or perhaps weeks, the current war between Israel and Hamas will come to an end. More precisely, this new chapter in the conflict will reach its conclusion. When that happens, a third party will have played a key mediating role and, in the process, will have raised its diplomatic profile. While the United States is the most likely candidate to broker the final ceasefire, should another country or organization become the pivotal mediator, it could walk away with a big diplomatic prize, emerging from the process with renewed prestige and international influence. But if glory awaits anyone who succeeds in stopping the awful bloodshed across the Israel-Gaza border, the attempt to do so doesn't come without risks. Trying to persuade the combatants to lay down their arms could prove futile and embarrassing. For that reason, several potential mediators are already making initial efforts, while waiting for the ideal moment -- when they believe that both sides have reached a tipping point -- to make a stronger push. In order to agree to a ceasefire, both sides have to feel a level of exhaustion. They must feel they have achieved a desirable result, having preserved their dignity by fighting and having inflicted enough damage on the enemy to justify the cost of the campaign. The cost, of course, includes international and domestic pressure.
World Citizen: Who Will Broker the Israel-Hamas Ceasefire?
