Trump's Gaza Agreement: A Breakthrough in Middle Eastern Diplomacy

Politics, Opinion, Trump, Gaza, Biden, Israel, Hamas, peace deal, hostages, Middle East, Netanyahu, diplomacy, rtwnews.com, Trump's Gaza Agreement: A Breakthrough in Middle Eastern Diplomacy
Former President Trump successfully negotiated a groundbreaking deal for Gaza that eluded the Biden administration, marking a significant moment in Middle Eastern diplomacy.

At the time, Israel's air strike against the Hamas negotiating team in Qatar seemed like yet another escalation that pushed the prospect of peace further away.

The attack on 9 September violated the sovereignty of an American ally and risked expanding the conflict into a region-wide war.

Instead it turned out to be a key moment that has led to a deal, announced by President Donald Trump, to release all remaining hostages.

This is a goal that he, and President Joe Biden before him, had sought for nearly two years.

It is just the first step towards a more durable peace, and the details of Hamas disarmament, Gaza governance and full Israeli withdrawal remain to be negotiated.

But if this agreement holds, it could be Trump's signature achievement of his second term - one that eluded Biden and his diplomatic team.

Trump's unique style and crucial relationships with Israel and the Arab world appear to have contributed to this breakthrough.

A close relationship that Biden never had

In public, Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are all smiles. Trump likes to say that Israel has no better friend, and Netanyahu has described Trump as Israel's greatest ever ally in the White House.

During his first presidential term, Trump moved the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and abandoned a long-held US position that Israeli settlements in the Palestinian West Bank are illegal.

When Israel began its air strikes against Iran in June, Trump ordered US bombers to target the nation's nuclear enrichment facilities with its most powerful conventional bombs.

Trump's negotiator, Steve Witkoff, browbeat Netanyahu in late 2024 into accepting a temporary ceasefire in exchange for the release of some hostages.

When Israel launched strikes against Syrian forces in July, Trump pressured Netanyahu to change course.

Biden's relationship with Netanyahu's government was always more tenuous. His administration's bear hug strategy aimed to embrace Israel publicly in order to allow private moderation.

Ultimately, domestic politics or personal relationships may have had less weight than the fact that, during Biden's presidency, Israel was not ready to negotiate peace.

Less than a month after the Israeli strike on Doha, Trump sat nearby as Netanyahu personally phoned Qatar to apologize. And later that day, the Israeli leader signed off on Trump's 20-point peace plan for Gaza.

If Trump's relationship with Netanyahu gave him the room to pressure Israel to strike a deal, his history with Muslim leaders may have secured their support, and helped them convince Hamas to commit to the deal.

The global condemnation of Israel over its actions in Gaza also weighed on Trump's thinking, as did the unprecedented humanitarian crisis unfolding in the region.

Trump's unorthodox manner still has the capacity to shock, but it's his ability to navigate complex diplomatic waters that has resulted in a peace process that many deemed impossible.

The Israel-Gaza agreement marks a significant turning point in the conflict, but details remain crucial, as the situation continues to evolve.

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