By Azu Ishiekwene
US President Donald Trump may be getting ahead of himself with the encouraging signs that, following the ceasefire in Gaza, the world might have another opportunity to end the Middle East crisis, one of the world’s longest-running conflicts.
It was a conflict in which Trump took sides with Israel – vetoing resolutions at the UN, supporting Israeli attacks on sovereign states, including Iran, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, and feigning ignorance of the attack on Qatar. It seemed no price was too high to “cleanse” Gaza and relocate Gazans away from their homeland to create a nice piece of real estate, a Mediterranean Mar-a-Logo, perhaps.
Trump’s rhetoric emboldened Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in no small measure to unleash the Israeli Defence Forces on the ground in Gaza and to carpet-bomb the city. The world was waiting to see American oil drilling companies move in to complete the conquest.
Making a deal
But in a stark about-face, it was Trump again pulling all belligerents by the scruff of their necks and shoving them to the roundtable. It’s rare in peace negotiations for one party to be literally given an ultimatum to sign a deal. That, precisely, was what happened – Trump all but put a gun to the head of Hamas. And unlike Hamas, Hamas complied.
It is also to the credit of Trump that Hamas didn’t worry about getting the short end of the stick. They didn’t argue about a deal brokered without them, but for which they were given papers to sign. They signed anyway. And for a while, the mushroom clouds may cease.
Trump hasn’t been to Gaza, but he was on the red carpet – getting the warmest reception and accolades of any foreign head of state at the Knesset. He must have cherished that flatter from Netanyahu, of being the best friend Israel ever had in the Whitehouse. That claim was no empty boast. In 2018, Trump ordered the relocation of the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a city claimed by both Israel and Palestine as their capital.
Trump rules…
After a rapturous welcome at the Israeli parliament, he proceeded to Egypt, where he stood on the stage like a head boy, shaking hands and backslapping world leaders, all of whom delighted in a thumbs-up photo opportunity with the man of the moment.
It was quite a deal and a big one. In Sham el-Sheikh, Egypt, he was in a classic Trumpoverse, wearing America’s power on his sleeve and reminding the world that “all he has done his entire life has been deals.”
Cost of war
It was one war too long, too many, beginning on October 7, 2023, and spanning over two years. The peace treaty took even longer, cost too many lives, and caused too much destruction to achieve. The Gaza war is on record as the most prolonged Israeli military conflict.
It almost took a worse turn when Iranian reprisals punctured the “iron dome” – causing Israelis to witness military aggression on home soil, in contrast to just seeing or feeling it from a distance.
The massive casualties, conservatively put at 67,000 Palestinians, with around 1.7 million of them internally displaced, relief and food aid remain critical emergencies going forward. A complex hostage and prisoner exchange had to become a key component of the ceasefire agreement as well.
For all the world to note and learn, the hostages on both sides revealed the reality of our shared humanity, the fact that life is a precious gift that deserves to be preserved by friends and foes alike. It was an emotional moment that broke many hearts and sobered many hot heads.
And for Israel, despite the brutality of the war, Netanyahu could still not achieve his objective of annihilating Hamas to the last man, an incredibly insane aim from the onset.
Hamas took 251 Israeli hostages during the initial attack. Only 20 are reported to have survived. As part of the ceasefire deal, Hamas released all 20 remaining hostages. The war claimed the lives of the remaining 231.
In exchange, Israel freed over 1,900 Palestinian prisoners. These exchanges were part of the three-stage ceasefire deal brokered through the mediation of the US, Qatar, and Egypt, aiming to bring an end to hostilities.
Rebuilding from ground zero
The phased ceasefire has humanitarian components allowing displaced Palestinians to return to their homes (or what is left of them), increasing aid deliveries to Gaza, and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces and the reconstruction of Gaza, a process that will last several years due to the near-total destruction wrought by aerial bombardments.
War-weary Palestinians, along with cynical and restrained Israelis, erupted in celebrations at the news of the signing of a peace treaty. Families reunited, and hope rose again on a bleak landscape of concrete debris and rubble. It was hope instigated and instilled by Trump, for whom the Palestinians would have sworn over their dead bodies to expect nothing good.
The most crucial step in this circumstance is to address several complex and interrelated factors simultaneously to sustain peace in the region. Parties must commit to and intentionally maintain strict adherence to international laws and UN resolutions, as well as mutual respect for borders and territorial integrity.
With particular reference to Israel and the United States, the peace broker, respect for the sovereignty of Middle Eastern countries is also essential.
Rebuilding Gaza will require a comprehensive restoration of critical infrastructure, including water supply systems, sewage treatment plants, electricity networks, telecommunications, hospitals, and other essential services. The removal of debris, construction of temporary and permanent housing units, development of agricultural lands, and establishment of industrial zones.
Future of Hamas
Recovery must be Palestinian-owned and led, and a two-state solution must be an integral part of any lasting agreement. The Gulf States will expect guarantees around Palestinian sovereignty, including political recognition. There is room enough for the lion and the lamb to live side by side.
The days of Hamas are over. It may not like the idea and may, in fact, argue that only Palestinians can decide that. But 18 years of Hamas rule have been a disaster, with more investments by the group in tunnels, rockets and other deadly weapons than in water and schools for Palestinians. It has lost any moral authority to be a part of the Palestinian future.
Bibi’s reckoning
On the other side, Netanyahu must now face his demons, regardless of his desperate lobbying for salvation from Trump. He was hanging on to power by a thread, battling charges of corruption and abuse of office before October 7. His trial should continue, on top of which he must now account for his conduct during the war. He has managed to prolong his stay by prolonging the war, regardless of the cost in human lives and the misery of his own citizens. He must account for his deeds.
Meanwhile, if the Middle East peace holds and the US president commits to a two-state solution, the White House may nominate Trump for the next Nobel Peace Prize.
Trump’s misdeeds have been as long as they have been disruptive and chaotic. Still, if he pushes for a two-state solution and manages to get Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy to a round table, that might be the medal-worthy deal of our lifetime!
Then we can crown him, and say, “Go, and sin no more!”
Ishiekwene is the Editor-In-Chief of LEADERSHIP and author of the new book A Midlifer’s Guide to Content Creation and Profit.
