Dare I declare that hell has frozen over with the announcement that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to a ceasefire with Hezbollah?

Netanyahu is considered widely to be a warmonger, that he prefers violence to a negotiated settlement with a known and dreaded terrorist organization.

I don’t buy into the pejorative view of him. The man’s country is surrounded by nations that wish Israel’s destruction. Hezbollah governs Lebanon and has been at war with Israel after launching a missile attack that killed hundreds of Israelis.

Israel has the right to defend itself.

Still, I am surprised to hear today of the Israeli agreement to call a halt to the bloodshed in Lebanon. Netanyahu hasn’t agreed to a permanent peace and the hope now should exist that the warring sides can breathe deeply and get the wheels turning toward a settlement that can end the bloodshed over the long term.

I do not want hell to thaw.