"It's not the day to be raining on the parade," said Richard Haass immediately following the conclusion of President Trump's speech to the Knesset. But on Morning Joe, that's precisely what Haass, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, did in a downbeat take on Trump's remarks.
Introducing Haass, host Jonathan Lemire repeated the Hamas propaganda that 60,000 Gazans had been killed, and called Trump's speech "deeply political," that sounded in part like a Trump rally speech that could have been given in the US.
Haass took it from there, and in his first shot, said:
"What was missing, though, was other than one or two sentences, any reference to the Palestinian issue, any need about Israel essentially to get serious about compromising. Very little was said to flesh out where we go from here. It was just generalities on stilts."
Seriously? On the day that a ceasefire had been achieved and all living hostages returned, how could Haass expect Trump to provide details on plans for the future of Gaza and Palestinians at large? Consider that the United States didn't announce the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe until more than two years after V-E Day.
It's amazing Haass would huff that Israel "get serious about compromising." As in trading 20 hostages for thousands of Palestinians isn't a compromise? As if granting Gaza to the Palestinians in the first place wasn't a compromise -- that never resulted in real peace.
In reality, the key to lasting peace and a promising future for the Palestinians lies largely in their own hands. As Trump put it in his speech:
"The choice for Palestinians could not be more clear. This is their chance to turn forever from the path of terror and violence, to exile the wicked forces of hate that are in their midst."
And contrary to this man's "generalities on stilts" crack, Trump did provide some real substance. He announced a Board of Peace that he would chair to focus on rebuilding Gaza and creating structures that would lead to enduring peace. Trump also announced that he has obtained major financial commitments from wealthy countries in the region to rebuild Gaza.
Continuing his Eeyore imitation, Haass then declared:
"I think disarming Hamas is going to be an impossibility."
Will every last weapon be taken from the last of the Hamas dead-enders? Maybe not. But Hamas's days as a viable fighting force clearly seem over. To make another WWII analogy, decades after Japan's unconditional surrender, there were still holdout Japanese soldiers hiding in caves, refusing to give up the fight.
And putting a shriveled cherry on the bleak cake he had baked, Haass gloomily predicted:
"I think the chance of this ceasefire breaking down are real."
It's that kind of pessimism that prevented the Biden administration from achieving what Trump and his team have managed with their optimism and determination.
Haass tried and failed to rain on the parade. It's been a tough day for the liberal foreign policy establishment and liberals at large. On a day when much of the world is exulting, they sulk.
This wasn't the only viewpoint on Morning Joe. Before Trump's speech, he drew praise from historian/Biden adviser Jon Meacham: “It’s a terrific day for the hostage families,” he said. “It’s a terrific day for President Trump, for our national interests.”
Here's the transcript.
MSNBC
Morning Joe
10/13/25
8:14 am EDTJONATHAN LEMIRE: Richard, I will start with you. In many ways, this was a deeply political speech. Parts of it felt like a Trump rally speech that could have been delivered anywhere in the United States, not necessarily the Knesset. Including in the last few minutes, a fairly breathtaking call for the Knesset there and the President of Israel to issue a pardon for Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Give us some of your thoughts of what we just heard from the president.
RICHARD HAASS: Well, one thing is what you said, that Bibi Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, has to be extraordinarily happy. If Donald Trump is disappointed that Bibi Netanyahu is not making the trip today to attend the peace summit in Egypt, it didn't show. There were things that were said today that will literally be cut into campaign endorsements for Bibi Netanyahu when the Israeli elections happen sometime early next year.
Second of all, there was some nice general language, Jonathan, about an opportunity in the Middle East, about turning the page, if you will, from war to peace. In the Bible, you'd almost say turning your swords into plowshares.
What was missing, though, was other than one or two sentences, any reference to the Palestinian issue, any need about Israel essentially to get serious about compromising. Very little was said to flesh out where we go from here. It was just generalities on stilts.So anyone trying to read or listen carefully to the speech to get real hints as to what this administration is prepared to do to advance the ball, I didn't hear it.
The other thing that worries me a little bit, and again, it's not the day to be raining on the parade, but let me just say it, is that the president is talking so much about how all this is behind us.
And I look at the Middle East and I look at Hamas still in the streets. I think disarming Hamas is going to be an impossibility. I see Israel continuing its settlements programs and so forth. I think the chance of this ceasefire breaking down are real.
There's such a sense of that peace is at hand and what has been accomplished. And what was missing from this was a sense of the difficulty to come, and the clear commitment of the United States. At one point, he even talked about his principal negotiator, Steve Witkoff, returning to focus on Russia and Ukraine. I'm not against the focus on Russia and Ukraine, but that didn't signal a real sense of just what has to be done here.
So again, this is more of a victory lap speech for the president. And again, a clear political, if you will, endorsement of Bibi Netanyahu. But I don't think there was a lot here that showed that he and his administration are aware already of what needs to be done. I hope that's implicit there, but we'll see.