A Daily Analysis
By Marc Schulman

December 14, 2008-Will the Ceasefire Continue? Shalit Talks at a Standstill and Controversy Over Private Israeli School Set to Open

Today, the Israeli news was dominated by the question of whether the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas would end or not at the end of the week. Halid Meshal from Damascus has announced that the ceasefire ends this week. However, the leaders of Hamas in Gaza do not agree necessarily with Meshal. They are not necessarily interested in opening themselves to Israel's targeted assassinations. The Gazan leadership is interested in continuing the ceasefire, but on better terms. It's not clear how the week will end. The IDF favors the extension of the ceasefire, especially in this election season. The IDF also fears being drawn into action in the midst of an election campaign.

In a show of their power Hamas held a demonstration today with 100,000 of their supporters. They brought out someone playing Gilad Shalit to make fun of him. At the moment, negotiations over Shalit's release are at a complete standstill.

A small controversy is brewing in Israel over the plans of Amos Aloni (the son of Shulamit Aloni) to open a private school. Aloni had been the principal of the Gymnasia Herzilia. He believes the Israeli educational system is so broken that any workable solutions must come from outside the system. The controversial aspects of Aloni's plans call for opening a school of "Leadership and Culture", charging 35,000 Shekel/year tuition. Critics claim all Aloni will accomplish is to create an elitist institution solely for the rich. Aloni claims the school will offer generous scholarships.