This week, U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to accomplish what, for two years, had eluded all previous attempts to end the devastating war between Israel and Hamas. Working closely with Qatar and Turkey, his administration secured commitments from both parties to implement the first phase of a peace plan: an immediate ceasefire and a surge of aid trucks into Gaza, the partial withdrawal of the Israeli military, and the liberation of all the remaining hostages in Hamas's control in exchange for the release of almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Many elements of Trump's 20-point plan resemble previous proposals. But its near-term tactical brilliance should not be understated. Instead of waiting to declare that an accord had been reached until details had been resolved, his administration locked both warring sides into publicly accepting a deal before they ironed out the specifics of what they had agreed to. At the time of the ceasefire, for instance, Israeli and Hamas teams had not agreed which Palestinian prisoners would be released.
This ambiguity has proved valuable, affording each side a narrative of triumph. Hamas can proclaim that its resistance was vindicated. After the deal was reached, senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Mardawi released a statement proclaiming that “Gaza—the graveyard of invaders—was victorious through its steadfastness and unity, imposing its will on the arrogant enemy,” even as Israel insisted that the agreement forces Hamas's capitulation by freeing all the hostages, allowing the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to maintain control over much of Gaza, and requiring Hamas's disarmament.…
The remainder of this commentary is available at foreignaffairs.com.
