Donald Trump Is No Peacemaker
Don't believe anyone who tells you otherwise.
An otherwise rational person might feel inclined to hand it to President Donald Trump after news broke on Wednesday that his administration had brokered a “peace” deal between Israel and Hamas. To that, I would say: hold up.
There’s much we still don’t know about the deal. What’s being heralded is that it would result in Hamas turning over the remaining Israeli hostages (of which around 20 are presumed to still be alive) in exchange for the release of “250 life sentence prisoners plus 1,700 Gazans who were detained after Oct. 7, 2023.” (It’s worth noting that Palestinians are always called “prisoners,” which implies that they’re being detained for cause, not “hostages,” which implies they’re being held unjustly.) That reporting on the plan comes from The New York Times, which has done more than any other news outlet to launder this so-called “war” as anything other than a genocide perpetrated against a civilian, captive population.
The plan also calls for an “influx” of humanitarian aid into Gaza. In the Times reporting, a subheading on the aid part of the deal is titled: “The deal is expected to allow more aid into Gaza.” A very clever sleight of hand indeed! All this time, is was an in fact an inanimate “deal” that was creating starvation conditions in Gaza, rather than Israel. The paper of record continues:
Hamas and Qatar indicated in their initial statements about the agreement that it would allow for more aid to flow. But the details were unclear.
An earlier, short-lived cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in January stipulated that hundreds of trucks ferrying supplies would enter the enclave each day.
Yeah, remember that last other ceasefire? Remind me who literally blew that up? The Times either doesn’t know or, more likely, is unwilling to say.
The “peace” deal also dictates that Israeli troops will withdraw to some line that’s not yet been described, something Israel has historically shown zero respect for, and for Hamas to “disarm.” Here’s how the Times frames that:
It’s unclear whether Hamas will disarm.
For Mr. Trump’s full peace plan to work, diplomats and negotiators will probably need to resolve a crucial question: Will Hamas agree to give up its weapons?
Mr. Netanyahu has long insisted that he would not accept an agreement in which Hamas refuses to disarm. The Palestinian militant group has publicly rejected his demands that it do so.
Mr. Trump did not mention that issue in his social media post or in a television interview afterward, and there were no immediate public comments about it from Israel or Hamas.
What’s most “unclear” to me—and, again, goes totally unsaid—is whether Israel with respect the terms of this deal. But, fortunately for that pariah state, its water-carriers in the media will never ask, nor blame it if it shatters this fragile deal.
Many—including, again, the Times—are rushing to dub Trump a “peacemaker” for this deal, and for his appearing to finally bringing Israel and Benjamin Netanyahu to heel. But Trump let this genocide go on for almost another full year as children in Gaza starved and Israel’s bombing continued. Gaza is in ruins, it’s unclear if the Palestinian Authority will play any role at all, and what’s instead being offered is a “Trump economic development plan to rebuild and energise Gaza,” a project that, if it proceeds, will very likely favor Israel and its illegal settlements. That’s not peacemaking.
Most tellingly, Trump’s administration has come to this “deal” not by using the simplest, most effective lever that America has to pull: that of the purse, of unfailing international diplomatic cover, and of the arms we’ve continually rushed to Israel whenever they’re depleted. Without meaningfully withdrawing our support on any of those fronts, I remain pessimistic about this agreement’s long-term prospects. Any prospect of stopping the killing for even a day is worthwhile, but we shouldn’t rush to give the president the Nobel Peace Prize based on a deal he refused to implement for nearly a year—and that, at least for now, only exists on paper.
So what you are saying Katherine is we don't, in fact, "have to hand it to him."
This applies in all situations. Deal on paper, doesn't work in reality. I'm sure there are a few construction workers in Atlantic City who can comment on how that works out.
If the USA and other western countries would stop supplying the Israelis with money and arms there would be peace. How simple it is to achieve peace. No negotiations necessary.