Temporary cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, vacation equality campaign, US Africa summit

An Israeli army spokesperson says that all Israeli troops have withdrawn from Gaza. This marks the beginning of a 72-hour cease-fire between Hamas and Israel. The agreement was facilitated by Egypt, and Hamas has said it will participate in peace talks. According to news reports, 1,834 Palestinians have died, 64 Israeli soldiers have been killed and three other civilians have died in Israel since fighting began on July 8th. We'll discuss the Israeli decision to agree to the cease-fire with Roey Gilad, Consul General of Israel to the Midwest.
And, Hotels.com has launched a campaign to make Americans aware of the fact that they get less paid vacation time than most other developed countries. There is no law in the U.S. that requires workers get paid vacation. Hotels.com is urging Americans to sign a petition to get the president to support legislation that would guarantee paid vacation time for all Americans. Neha Parikh, vice president and general manager of Hotels.com North America tells more about the Vacation Equality Project.
Then, this week President Obama is meeting with the leaders from close to 50 African countries as part of the first ever U.S. Africa Leaders Summit. Meetings will focus on U.S. trade and investment in Africa. In a recent Op-Ed, Todd Moss, chief operating officer and senior fellow at the Center for Global Development, wrote that the U.S. needs to reshape its old agenda and “recognize that foreign aid does not necessarily buy influence and that African leaders seek relationships based on mutual interests and respect. This means treating Africa not as a special case but rather as an equal partner on a par with any other region of the world.” Todd Moss joins us to discuss the summit and U.S. investment in Africa.

(photo: Palestinian children ride a swing in a public park during a temporary Hamas and Israel cease fire in Gaza City, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2014. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra))