Aboard Air Force One, en route to the Middle East to sign a landmark peace agreement between Israel and Hamas, President Trump was already planning his next intervention: stopping a brewing war between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
“I’m doing another one because I am good at solving wars,” Mr. Trump told reporters on the plane. “I’m good at making peace. And it’s an honor to do it.”
Mr. Trump’s role as a world peacemaker has become a dominant part of his presidency, and his success in ending conflicts and wars around the globe is poised to be the crowning achievement of his two terms in office.
The first phase of the peace deal between Israel and Hamas was achieved early Monday with the safe release of all 20 living hostages held in Hamas captivity since the terrorist group attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The attack provoked the Israeli offensive that has lasted more than two years.
The Israelis gave Mr. Trump credit for securing the hostages’ release, as did top U.S. Republicans and even some Democrats.
“With this historic achievement, President Trump has accomplished what others have only talked about, or tried and failed,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, Louisiana Republican. “Time and time again, the president is demonstrating that American strength delivers peace.”
Former President Bill Clinton, who fell short of securing a lasting Middle East peace deal during his two terms, said Mr. Trump deserved “great credit” for “keeping everyone engaged until the agreement was reached.”
Other analysts said the president deserved more than credit and the deal would not have happened without him.
Mr. Trump’s hard-line approach, unfathomable to Democratic presidents, helped strengthen Israel’s position in the Middle East, which in turn weakened Hamas and terrorist groups aligned with it, and forced Hamas to the negotiating table.
It would be hard to imagine President Biden or President Kamala Harris bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities or cutting off the Iranian oil income that funded global terrorism, said Victor Davis Hanson, a distinguished fellow at the Center for American Greatness.
“Trump’s unorthodox mix of pressure, power, and pragmatism shattered old diplomatic molds, delivering a rare moment of calm to the world’s most combustible region,” Mr. Hanson wrote.
Before he signed the Middle East peace documents in Egypt, Mr. Trump took several victory laps in his race to end global warfare.
He dominated the NATO security summit in June after U.S. military strikes obliterated Iran’s nuclear facilities, which helped bring a quick ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
He also succeeded at brokering a long-sought commitment from NATO to increase Europe’s defense spending.
Mr. Trump took credit for halting a brewing conflict between Pakistan and India, both nuclear powers, and for bringing an end to the fighting between Rwanda and Congo with a peace deal signed in June at the White House. Mr. Trump was also credited with helping reach an accord between Armenia and Azerbaijan that was finalized at the White House in August.
“Not since Teddy Roosevelt have we had a leader this respected on the global stage and this effective at mediating peace,” said Will Chamberlain, senior counsel at the conservative Article III Project.
Critics have downplayed Mr. Trump’s bragging rights, arguing that his peacekeeping roles have not been prominent or that the conflicts he took credit for ending are not fully settled.
For example, fighting between Rwanda and Congo continues, according to a United Nations special envoy who said there is “real hope” for a ceasefire.
Political opponents like to point to Mr. Trump’s campaign promise to quickly end the war between Russia and Ukraine. Nearly a year after Mr. Trump’s election, the two sides are still fighting. Mr. Trump appears to be growing impatient with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has continued to bomb Ukraine. Mr. Trump will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later this week. He has warned Russia that he may provide Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles if Mr. Putin doesn’t agree to negotiate a peace deal.
“President Trump has made it happen,” said Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, reacting to the Israeli-Hamas peace deal. “And if we do not fall for the pro-war siren calls, he will get it done in Ukraine as well. We must give him all the support he needs for that.”
Mr. Trump’s prominent role undoubtedly secured the return of Israeli hostages and the Middle East peace deal. His face was plastered on Jerusalem newspapers and billboards, and he was greeted with great fanfare upon his arrival in the Jewish state early Monday. He received a standing ovation at the Israeli parliament, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave all the credit to Mr. Trump, whose election, he said, made the peace deal possible.
“Everything changed overnight,” Mr. Netanyahu said. “I have never seen anyone who can make peace as quickly and decisively as Donald Trump, and I have known many American presidents.”
Nathan Sales, Mr. Trump’s first-term acting undersecretary of state for civilian security, democracy and human rights, said Mr. Trump’s moves to strengthen the U.S. position on the world stage made the Middle East peace deal possible.
“Today’s peace deal doesn’t happen without American leadership,” Mr. Sales said. “President Trump was able to bring the Arab world and Israel together on the same page because they trust him and they respect American strength.”
Even the president’s staunchest allies warn that the 20-point peace plan Mr. Trump signed Monday will take tremendous effort by all players in the Middle East to implement successfully and will require the difficult task of disarming Hamas.
“President Trump has set the conditions for this historic change. It’s up to the region and the rest of the world, working with President Trump, to make this happen,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican.
Benjamin Rogers, deputy director at the American Jewish Committee Center for a New Middle East, called the agreement a road map and said Mr. Trump’s unconventional approach forced Israel and key Arab states to align in unconventional ways.
“It is the most realistic framework for advancing Israeli-Arab peace, creating engagement opportunities, and countering Hamas’ ideology through a united alliance of Israelis and Arabs committed to peace, security and prosperity,” Mr. Rogers said.
The president signed the deal days after he was passed over for the Nobel Peace Prize. Mr. Trump said he would be a better candidate for the prize in 2026 because of his success this year in bringing about global peace.
“But I did this not for Nobel,” he said Sunday on Air Force One. “I did this for saving lives.”
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.