US President Donald Trump’s trip to Egypt to discuss a peace plan for Gaza was a long-awaited victory lap and a taste of power, but there are still plenty of issues to be resolved, writes the BBC.
Trump clearly enjoyed the warm welcome in the Israeli parliament and in Egypt, and was delighted to see so many world leaders in attendance, says BBC editor Jeremy Bowen. One diplomat present said that it seemed that Trump viewed other world leaders as extras in his own film.
The US president’s message, speaking in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, was essentially a self-praise for achieving a historic turning point. “All I’ve done all my life is deals. The greatest deals just sort of happen… That’s what happened right here. And maybe this is going to be the greatest deal of them all,” Trump said. The audience might have thought the job was done, but it’s not.
The ceasefire and prisoner exchange are Trump’s doing. Qatar, Egypt and Turkey used their influence to pressure the Hamas terror group to accept the terms of the ceasefire. The effort was joint, and Trump’s role was crucial. Without his pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, nothing would have been achieved. Israel has repeatedly rejected the ceasefire. But it also gives us a glimpse of what the current deal means. The deal is for a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange, and it’s not a peace treaty, or even the beginning of a peace process.
The next step in Trump’s 20-point peace plan calls for an agreement
on guidelines for the demilitarization, security and governance of the Gaza Strip, with a committee that includes the Palestinians.
The political will needed to achieve real peace is still lacking. Most wars end with war-weary parties agreeing on something. If war is truly over, as Trump has declared, this would be the case. Another way to end a war is for one side to win outright, as was the case in World War II.
Before the 9th of September, when Netanyahu ordered the strike on Qatar, he seemed ready to completely destroy the enemy in order to gain absolute control over the future of Gaza. However, the strike angered Trump. Qatar is one of America’s key allies in the region, and hosts a US military base there. In Trump’s case, US interests will always come before Israel’s.
Truces are usually broken early. The ones that hold up are always based on close negotiations, and in such cases both sides are adamant that there must be no renewed fighting. In Gaza, there is no such determination. Just 24 hours after the ceasefire was celebrated with joy, the truce began to falter. Hamas has so far returned the remains of only seven prisoners. A total of 28 Israelis are believed to have died in captivity. The group has explained that it is very difficult to find remains in the rubble. Israel’s patience is running out. If the bodies are not returned, it will become a major problem.
Israel has said that if the remains are not returned, it will halve the amount of humanitarian aid
currently flowing into Gaza and will not open the border crossing with Egypt.
53% of the Gaza Strip remains under the control of the Israeli Armed Forces (IDF). On October 14, Israelis opened fire on Palestinians, killing seven people in two shootings.
Meanwhile, Hamas is reasserting its power. Armed, masked militants from the group are on the streets. There have been clashes with rival clans, some of whom are protected by the IDF. Videos have been released showing Hamas killing people it accuses of collaborating with the Israelis. It sends a stark message to Palestinians who want the group to leave, and also shows the world that Israel’s brutal attacks have not destroyed the group.
Point 15 of Trump’s plan says the United States will work with Arab and international partners to establish an interim International Stabilization Force (ISF) to be deployed to Gaza. But that will not be possible if the ceasefire is not stable.
No country will send its troops to disarm Hamas by force.
Hamas has made it clear that it may give up its heavy weapons, but will not disarm completely. The group knows that when its weapons are gone, its disarmament will be turned against by the Palestinians. Netanyahu has threatened that if no one else does, Israel will “finish the job.” Hamas’ weapons must disappear, no matter what.
Trump has said that a Gaza ceasefire will end the generations-long conflict between Arabs and Jews over the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. It will also lead to peace throughout the Middle East. However, if the US president believes that peace has already been achieved, he is deluding himself. Other US presidents have also thought that they can achieve complete peace in the Middle East. Trump will also have to come to the conclusion that peace does not come just because the president of a powerful country wants it.
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