Global Relations: Israel Approves Libyan Funding for Gaza Homes

Yes, Libya's wanted to donate $50 million aid to build 1,250 homes in Gaza for the Palestinians.

And surprisingly, Israel approved that humanitarian aid.

Money comes from Colonel Gaddafi's charity organization, the Gaddafi Foundation.

But if anybody in the rest of the world, especially the peaceniks, suddenly got hopeful, hard luck.

Both countries want any such false hopes to be nipped in the bud and resumed their "we are still at war" facades.

They don't even want us to think that it had anything to do with the release of Rafael Hadad , an Israeli photographer who was in a Libyan jail for the last five months. He was caught though he was traveling on a Tunisian passport.

While the world would like to rejoice at even the slightest ray of hope for peace in the Middle East, both nations don't want to give even the minimalistic suggestion of weakness in their hostile stances.

It appears this aid deal was actually brokered by the UN agency, United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). The mediator for the prisoner release was reportedly an Austrian businessman.

Still at the prisoner's release some inescapably conciliatory statements were made by Israel's foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman, "Libya is a reliable partner".

Whatever both countries say to maintain their traditional hostile postures, some thaw and melting of the ice did happen during the last few days, despite fervent denials for outside consumption. The events unfolded thus and the reciprocations are unmistakably related:

- Libya declared she is sending an aid ship with 2,000 tons of food and medicines to break the Gaza blockade.

- Israel, instead of downright opposition, agrees if the goods are offloaded at the Egyptian port of El-Arish and the final leg of that humanitarian aid movement is completed by the Egyptian Red Crescent by land and not by sea.

- Libya agrees and in return releases Hadad from detention.

- Israel allows Libya to help Palestinians build 1250 new homes in Gaza.

The world has much to rejoice and congratulate both countries and both the mediators despite both countries quickly assuming their habitual "nothing changed, we are enemies still" postures.