With news that the first 20 living hostages had been released, President Donald Trump made a trip to Israel to congratulate Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his support for the ceasefire deal with Hamas and address the Israeli Knesset. Trump offered words of hope and affirmation and closed with the pledge, “I love Israel. I am with you all the way. You will be bigger, better, stronger, and more loving than ever before … God bless the Middle East.”
Then the president traveled to the resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh on the Red Sea in Egypt. Along with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, Trump co-chaired the Summit for Peace, attended by more than 20 world leaders, including Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. All confirmed their support for Trump’s peace plan for the Gaza Strip. The signing ceremony formalized the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which included the hostages’ release, the Palestinian prisoner exchange, and an opening of corridors for a surge in aid to Gazans.
Rebuilding Gaza will be no easy feat. Few buildings stand untouched by the Hamas-instigated war. The news outlet France24 estimated the cost of reconstruction to be between $50 billion and $80 billion. “Unemployment exceeds 80 percent, 92 percent of its private homes have been destroyed, and more than 98 percent of its farmland is rendered unusable,” France24 reported. Can this resurrection be accomplished? With the US president involved, perhaps. As Just the News observed, “Trump also said that he will oversee reconstruction of Gaza in the role of chairman of the ‘Board of Peace’ and also be in charge of monitoring the eventual transitional Palestinian government.”
It’s not just the United States that is important for the Gaza peace plan to succeed. As The Jerusalem Post explained, “The Arab and Muslim world is optimistic about the Sharm El-Sheikh summit … because they see a US administration that is focused on peace, and they believe they can trust US President Donald Trump.” His blend of optimism and indefatigable embrace of getting things done has made Trump successful at almost everything he starts. The Post observed that Middle Eastern world leaders admire Trump: “They tend to like his style, which blends US strength with a transactional doctrine. What this means is that with Trump, they believe what they see is what they will get.”
As the summit concluded, the ceasefire appeared to be holding, 20 living hostages had been returned to their families, the Israel Defense Force had pulled back to an agreed-to line in Gaza, and Hamas was in the process of returning deceased Israelis. As part of the first phase of the peace plan, 200 US troops are on the ground in the region only to monitor and advise. “The U.S. troops will stay in Israel, where they will support logistics, transportation, engineering, and planning, the officials said,” according to an NBC News report. The US service members are drawn from troops already in the region.
All of the elements for a lasting peace are being assembled. But this is the Middle East, and it will take the combined efforts of Israel and its neighbors to ensure the plan survives. It’s off to a good start, and that is more than has been the case in decades.
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