JERUSALEM — Israelis celebrated the Jewish New Year on Friday evening, grateful for the recent calm spell in the region but skeptical that the coming year would see the achievement of ever- elusive peace.
The Jewish New Year, or Rosh Hashana, coincides this year with Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim feast marking the end of the Ramadan fasting.
Capping a year that saw Israel battle Hamas militants in a bloody three-week-long war in Gaza, followed by elections that brought a more hawkish government to power, Israelis remained doubtful that an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was in sight.
“We hope that this year will be better, that it will be quiet, that there will be peace, but I don’t believe it will happen,” said Yosef Cohen, 40, a merchant at Jerusalem’s Mahane Yehuda open-air market. “How many years have we been talking about it?”
However, Israel’s president remained optimistic.
“The international community is keen to support endeavors to move the peace process forward,” Shimon Peres said in a holiday greeting, “and I am confident that with concerted efforts, the vision of a comprehensive peace can be realized.”
