The Guardian’s view on Trump and the ceasefire: Hope at last, but the real work is just beginning | Editorial

DDonald Trump described the cessation of hostilities he brokered as the first step toward a “strong, lasting, and lasting peace.” No one can do more than the President of the United States to determine the outcome. For him, this was a modest statement, acknowledging that Israel and Hamas had agreed on the first phase of his plan – that it was their decision, not his, to turn a multipoint agreement into a multistage discussion. The two estranged parties have agreed so far on one thing, which is that both prefer to postpone truly difficult issues.

In Israel and Gaza, there was joy – albeit hesitant – when this was announced. There was an urgent need to put an end to the genocide, release all the hostages, and resume large-scale aid. There is every reason to fear that this will not lead to lasting peace, and every reason to strive to ensure that it does lead to lasting peace. By finally reining in Benjamin Netanyahu, and offering Qatar a security guarantee that convinced it (along with Egypt and Turkey) to rely more on Hamas, Trump created an opportunity that must be seized.

Acknowledging that his mediation led to this ceasefire also means acknowledging that Mr. Trump, and Mr. Biden before him, could have ended this conflict long ago. More than three dozen hostages taken by Hamas-led militants on October 7, 2023 It is believed that they were killed in captivity. The Israeli army killed more than 67,000 Palestinians in Gaza. The tens of thousands of children orphaned or suffering from severe malnutrition provide some indication of how deep and lasting the damage will be.

The atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7 and the genocide in Gaza have pushed both Israelis and Palestinians towards seeing the underlying conflict as an existential one, more than ever before. Hostilities could easily resume – although, for now at least, Hamas and the Israeli government appear to believe that an agreement would be better for them than a continuation of the conflict.

Hamas has no desire to disarm. The bulk of Trump’s plan states that Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza, but in essence offers the Palestinians a colonial administration under Trump and Sir Tony Blair, with the saddest suggestion that they might prove worthy of statehood in the future. Mr. Netanyahu has already rejected this.

The release of Israeli prisoners will not include the hugely popular Marwan Barghouti, who was imprisoned for ordering murders in the Second Intifada and who is seen by many as the figure most capable of bringing Palestinian factions together. Trump may not remain involved in this crisis for long once he achieves his victory. Remarkably, this breakthrough came shortly before the Nobel Peace Prize was announced on Friday (although the committee held its last meeting on Monday).

Emmanuel Macron, whose diplomatic initiatives helped pave the way for this moment, stressed on Thursday that it must lead to a political outcome based on a two-state solution. The increasing international pressure on Israel, which was itself a reflection of the influence of public opinion on the governments of its allies, and the growing involvement of the region, was decisive. The temptation for Israel’s allies may now be to tone things down and act as if this short-term fix is ​​a solution. They must instead invest intense efforts to produce the strong and lasting peace that Mr. Trump talked about – which will only be possible if it is based on justice.

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