Former President Donald Trump even laid out his grand vision for Palestine. He reaffirms his dedication to bringing lasting peace to the region. In a recent press conference, Trump declared he would chair a board dedicated to overseeing a significant reconstruction program in Gaza, along with establishing a largely technocratic Palestinian government. His remarks come amidst escalating conflict in the region. He is convinced that a window for peace has finally opened.
In his comments, Trump emphasized a new commitment to peace from world leaders and Israel. These last few months the world has truly longed for peace. Israel too was looking for peace in this period. Mr. He also underlined the urgency of the moment, arguing that prolonged fighting would have raised the stakes exponentially.
The president’s vision is a comprehensive plan for Gaza reconstruction and governance. He expressed optimism about the prospects for cooperation among Arab states and proposed that Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi join the peace board. Additionally, Trump is considering inviting former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to participate, indicating that he is gauging regional support for such a move.
“Phase two has already started. The phases are all a little bit mixed in with each other. You can start cleaning up. You look at Gaza, it’s a lot of clean-up.” – Donald Trump
Trump’s comments were made at a democracy summit that he co-hosted with al-Sisi, which brought together more than 20 world leaders. The meeting was supposed to support his peace plan of rebuilding Gaza and granting some form of limited self-rule to Palestinians. To that end, he said he was confident that greater cooperation would yield a more stable Middle East region.
Trump notably focused on the need to exert pressure on Arab countries to join the Abraham Accords immediately. He opines that getting a consensus among regional powers, including countries such as Indonesia, on all sides is necessary to achieve lasting peace.
In his speech, Trump focused on the security angle of his proposal. After winning the election, he confidently promised that Hamas would be disarmed and Gaza would be demobilized. He claimed that Israel’s military successes have put them in a position where it is now time to transition from force to diplomacy.
“Israel, with our help, has won all that it can by force of arms. Now it’s time to translate those victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East.” – Donald Trump
To his credit, the former president recognized that public opinion is changing when it comes to Israel’s dependence on the military fist. He cautioned that this could result in lost constituent favor if handled poorly. “I said: ‘Bibi [referring to the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu], you will be remembered for this far more than if you kept the thing going, going – kill, kill, kill,’” he remarked, underscoring his belief that Israel must now pursue peaceful solutions.
His incendiary rhetoric has produced both fear and admiration in equal measure from leaders around the world. French President Emmanuel Macron noted the importance of supporting the Palestinian Authority as a legitimate entity while emphasizing governance reforms.
“On the questions of governance, we will have a particular role to be by the side of the Palestinian Authority and to ensure it plays its part, and also that it conducts reforms for the day after.” – Emmanuel Macron
Macron stressed the importance of ensuring links between Gaza and the West Bank to ensure long-term peace. He then described his vision for a two-state solution as the optimal political framework for achieving long-term stability in the region.
For his part, Trump underlined that this new bilateral thaw signals the close of military confrontation. He sees them as part of his overall strategy to achieve a long overdue and lasting peace. “This is not only the end of war – this is the end of an age of terror and death,” he declared, framing the current moment as pivotal.