On his third visit to the White House in less than six months, Benjamin Netanyahu presented Donald Trump with a gift on Monday, July 7: a letter recommending the US president's nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. The Israeli prime minister, knowing Trump's taste for prestigious honors, likely believed the gesture could only work in his favor at a time when diplomacy is seeking to regain momentum on two key Middle Eastern issues: the resumption of talks between Washington and Tehran over Iran's nuclear program, less than a month after the Israeli and American attack on the Islamic Republic, and the search for a truce in Gaza.

After indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas resumed on July 6 in Doha, Qatar, the ceasefire strongly desired by the US president has been slow to materialize. No serious progress had been made yet, noted Azmi Keshawi, an expert on Israeli-Palestinian affairs at the International Crisis Group (ICG), based in the Qatari capital. The previous week, Egyptian and Qatari mediators, with the approval of US special envoy Steve Witkoff, had finalized a new ceasefire proposal. According to the White House, Witkoff was expected to travel to Doha within the week.

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