Hope against hope with new Mideast plan
In the cynical end, its several virtues aside, about the best that can be said for President Trump and his diplomatic team’s complex, thoughtful new plan to end the Israeli war in Gaza is that it’s worth a try.
While so many facets of the proposal involve what the best initiatives between literally warring parties do — true compromises, which, if adhered to, would surely result in true peace and an end for now to the killing — they all have the same linchpin: Acceptance by the terrorist military and political organization that is Hamas, which still rules Gaza.
Even, hoping against hope, if there were such an acceptance of the president’s plan, mere cognizance of history and current realities in the Middle East surely leads us to doubts that the peace could hold. There is too much bad blood on both sides.
In essence, Trump’s plan would halt the war with a key promise for the Israelis to take forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza off the table. It would disallow any permanent Israeli occupation of the territory. It also rules out Israeli annexation of the West Bank.
Quite importantly in the immediate term, it promises a massive new amount of much-needed food and humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The remaining Hamas-held Israeli hostages, alive and dead, would be returned immediately in return for the release of Hamas militants in Israeli custody.
Plus, it promises support by the Trump administration for a “credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood,” not exactly a current Israeli government policy, and commits the U.S. to resume peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Washington to put his support behind the plan.
Details matter, unlikelihoods abound, but if Trump can pull this off, that would be a huge accomplishment. It’s definitely better than his discarded Gaza-as-resort idea.
The problem is, and will be, that the deaths of many Gazans and many of its leaders has not resulted in Hamas giving up its fighting yet, and, without the hostages to bargain with, it may feel its power would be entirely eroded.
Indeed, it’s been apparent since the start of this conflict that Hamas doesn’t care about all of the lives lost in this conflict and indeed sees the bloodshed as a win for their twisted cause.
Though most Israelis, and most Americans, want the war to end, Hamas’s failure to agree would just give the current Israeli leadership, abashed by its security failure two years ago, a green light to continue fighting. Again, the radicals in Hamas might be fine with that, but there’s reason to believe the people of Gaza are tired of being ruled by tyrants who have only brought them war and suffering.
Yes, there are plenty of things to be concerned about, many causes for doubts and criticisms. Hardliners on both sides could easily derail things, perhaps, but what other idea seems reasonable given the options and where things currently stand?
Again, the hope against hope: That regional leaders back the worthy initiative, and continue to put pressure on Hamas to accept what one Qatari academic calls a “dignified exit” from the war.