31-07-2025
Donald Trump must put himself at the forefront of peace-building
Nobody expects consistency from Donald Trump, nor the Trump administration, dominated as it is by capricious personalities, but America's latest diplomatic moves in Middle Eastern policy are especially bewildering.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has latterly become a target for US sanctions, for which it is hardly the most deserving of candidates. It is not Hamas, for example – far from it, in fact: the terrorist organisation is a bitter rival, having effectively ceded Gaza from PA control many years ago. In contrast to so many other entities in the region, it has renounced violence and has even recognised the state of Israel.
And yet Marco Rubio, secretary of state, has imposed new visa restrictions on PA officials, such that they cannot visit the US, which would include, ironically, peace conferences such as the one currently organised by the United Nations and being held in New York.
Can the Trump administration be so resentful about the unexpected success of the conference that it could be so spiteful? It seems so – but it is counterproductive and unhelpful to the peace process.
The conference, boycotted by Israel and the United States, is the result of a joint French and Saudi Arabian initiative, and has enjoyed great success in further securing international recognition for the state of Palestine while demanding Hamas disarm and give up its grip on Gaza. Virtually the entire Arab world has endorsed that concept of Palestinian nationhood, without Hamas – as has, in effect, the UK.
Yet despite President Trump giving the green light to the British and French to recognise Palestine, and never having raised any retrospective objections to some 140 other nations that have previously done so, including India and China, he has thrown a tantrum.
The latest country to recognise Palestinian statehood is Canada. This has provoked an unusually harsh reaction from Mr Trump, who once again is threatening Canada with a trade war in retaliation, itself an attack on Canadian sovereignty. Then again, given that President Trump doesn't recognise the legitimacy of the state of Canada itself, that is not so surprising.
By contrast, he has shown no such vengeance – yet – towards Britain or France, nor Saudi Arabia or the rest of the Arab League. Or Mexico, for that matter, which is also joining the diplomatic wave.
The world has had to act now, not because it wishes to reward Hamas for the atrocities it committed on 7 October 2023, but to try to preserve life in Gaza and advance the cause of a two-state solution to the conflict.
At its simplest, the act of recognising Palestine is a way of pressuring Israel into declaring a ceasefire, ending the military actions, and preventing the famine from worsening. It is not about putting Hamas back into power; any viable two-state solution by definition cannot allow Hamas, or any Hamas-like organisation, to have a role in the governance of any part of the state of Palestine. That is why it is in the interests of Israel and America to support the creation of such an entity.
An independent Palestine, by its own actions and with international guarantees, cannot be allowed to exist as a threat to Israel; nor, however, can Israel follow policies that force the Palestinian people to suffer and drive them from their homeland, as defined as the occupied territories. 'From the river to the sea' cannot be the slogan of either side if peace, stability and prosperity are to prevail. With a sustainable Israeli ceasefire, the hostages are far more likely to be released.
Not so very long ago, that was the avowed and consistent aim of US policy under successive administrations. It was also, from time to time, the policy of Israeli prime ministers. There were successes – international treaties, peace accords, smaller deals and, in President Trump's first term, the Abraham accords, which saw more regional players normalising full diplomatic relations with Israel. That process was interrupted by the murderous attacks and hostage taking of 7 October, but it must be resumed, as another part of the peace process.
Like presidents before him, Mr Trump could and should be at the forefront of peace-building. Indeed, he can hardly avoid it, given the geopolitics, and he ran for office on a pledge that he would end the war in Gaza.
He has sent another envoy, Steve Witkoff, to see the situation on the ground, and Mr Witkoff should confirm the dire humanitarian situation. That is but the first step in a process that takes in a permanent ceasefire, the establishment of Hamas-free governance in Gaza, a plan to rebuild Gaza – with American investment along the lines of Mr Trump's Mediterranean resort plan – and the aim of a Palestinian nation peacefully co-existing with its neighbour, with both peoples free from fear and secure in their respective homelands.
The expulsion of the population of Gaza, a continuation of the war and a return to terrorism isn't good for anyone, and certainly not the people of Israel, who yearn for permanent safety and security for themselves and their families, and no future '7 Octobers'. That vision is surely something that President Trump could get behind – preferably with a dogged determination and consistency.
