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The respite brought by the end of fighting in Gaza is profound. In Israel, the liberation of the living hostages has resulted in widespread elation. Throughout Gaza and the West Bank, celebrations have commenced as up to 2,000 Palestinian prisoners are being freed – even as anguish persists due to ambiguity about who is being freed and where they will be sent. In northern Gaza, residents can now return to search the debris for the remnants of an believed 10,000 missing people.

Truce Development Against Earlier Odds

As recently as three weeks ago, the probability of a ceasefire looked improbable. However it has come into force, and on Monday Donald Trump departed Jerusalem, where he was cheered in the Knesset, to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt. There, he attended a high-powered peace summit of more than 20 world leaders, including Sir Keir Starmer. The plan for peace begun there is due to be continued at a conference in the UK. The US president, acting with international partners, did make this deal come to fruition – regardless of, not due to, Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Aspirations for Sovereignty Tempered by Historical Realities

Expectations that the deal represents the opening phase toward Palestinian statehood are understandable – but, given previous instances, slightly idealistic. It lacks a transparent trajectory to independence for Palestinians and endangers separating, for the immediate period, Gaza from the West Bank. Then there is the total ruin this war has produced. The omission of any timeframe for Palestinian self-determination in the presidential proposal contradicts self-aggrandizing mentions, in his Knesset speech, to the “monumental start” of a “golden age”.

The American leader was unable to refrain from dividing and individualizing the deal in his speech.

In a time of respite – with the hostage release, truce and resumption of aid – he opted to reframe it as a ethical drama in which he alone reinstated Israel’s prestige after supposed betrayal by previous American leaders Obama and Biden. This even as the Biden administration twelve months prior having attempted a comparable agreement: a ceasefire connected with relief entry and eventual negotiations.

Substantive Control Essential for Legitimate Peace

A initiative that withholds one side meaningful agency cannot yield authentic resolution. The halt in hostilities and humanitarian convoys are to be embraced. But this is not currently policy development. Without processes ensuring Palestinian engagement and authority over their own institutions, any deal endangers cementing domination under the rhetoric of peace.

Humanitarian Priorities and Rebuilding Obstacles

Gaza’s people urgently require relief assistance – and sustenance and pharmaceuticals must be the initial concern. But rebuilding cannot wait. Amid 60 million tonnes of debris, Palestinians need support reconstructing residences, learning institutions, medical centers, mosques and other organizations shattered by Israel’s military operation. For Gaza’s interim government to thrive, financial support must arrive promptly and safety deficiencies be remedied.

Comparable with a large portion of Mr Trump’s peace plan, mentions to an multinational security contingent and a proposed “diplomatic committee” are alarmingly vague.

Worldwide Endorsement and Future Prospects

Substantial worldwide endorsement for the Palestinian Authority, enabling it to replace Hamas, is probably the most hopeful prospect. The tremendous pain of the past two years means the ethical argument for a solution to the conflict is potentially more critical than ever. But although the truce, the return of the captives and commitment by Hamas to “disarm” Gaza should be accepted as constructive moves, the president's track record provides scant basis to believe he will fulfill – or feel bound to attempt. Short-term relief should not be interpreted as that the prospect of a Palestinian state has been advanced.