Who cares about ‘winners’?

The comments immediately after the announcement of cease-fire in Gaza make me laugh … and not with joy, but with derision.

Hamas is claiming some kind of victory in the announcement of a cease-fire brokered by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the leaders of Egypt and Israel.

Israel is making similar claims of victory.

This all begs the question: Who cares?

The only “winners” in this are the Israelis and the Palestinians who’ve been caught up in the crossfire between the Hamas terrorists who’ve been shelling Israel with rockets and the Israelis who’ve been responding – justifiably, in my view – with artillery and air strikes of their own.

If there is another winner, it must be Secretary Clinton, who’s about to leave office after four stellar years as the nations’ top diplomat. She announced long ago she’d serve one term in the Obama administration – and she’s about to leave to a chorus of high praise.

Meanwhile, Hamas and the Israelis can stop the chest-thumping and give thanks that the shelling has stopped.

The cease-fire must hold. And as Clinton said in announcing it, the immediate end of hostilities must serve as a building block to erecting a lasting peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.

If that’s Hillary Clinton’s legacy upon leaving the public stage – for now, at least – then she’s earned her place in the Diplomacy Hall of Fame.