Barring any dramatic developments over the coming weekend, the agreement between Israel and Hamas is a fait accompli, and all that remains to be seen is when a formal announcement will be made. It may still take a few more days to hammer out certain issues that remain unresolved, such as how long the period of calm will last, when the bodies of Israeli soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin will be returned, along with the Israeli citizens currently being held by Hamas, and whether all the rival Palestinian factions will be brought under “the umbrella of the agreement.”
On the evening of Aug. 16, Israel confirmed that the head of Egypt's intelligence services, Maj. Gen. Abbas Kamel, paid a visit to the country one day earlier for meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Director of the Shin Bet Nadav Argaman. Then he continued on to Ramallah. In an unusual move, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ office did not release any statement about the visit. The reason for this is clear. Not only is Abbas opposed to entering under that “umbrella,” he has actually been launching a fierce attack against the arrangement.