Peace finally descends on the Middle East: Now the battle to make it last begins

There were cries of joy throughout Israel on Oct 13, as all the country's living hostages were released from the captivity of Hamas, the radical Palestinian militia in control of Gaza.

- Jonathan Eyal Global Affairs Correspondent

Palestinians also danced in the streets as Israel released almost 2,000 prisoners from its jails, some of whom had spent decades behind bars.

With the guns now silent, the entire Middle East can at long last breathe a sigh of relief.

US President Donald Trump, the man who set it all in motion, duly arrived in the region for a victory lap, which included a short trip to Israel, followed by a brief stopover in a Red Sea holiday resort in Egypt, where a large number of European, Arab and Muslim leaders waited to greet him.

Mr Trump has always been very popular with ordinary Israelis, and is even more so now, having negotiated the deal that secured the release of all Israeli hostages.

But while he was showered with compliments wherever he went, it quickly became clear that Mr Trump's vision of a permanently peaceful Middle East is about to hit severe difficulties.

And nowhere were the obstacles more evident than in Israel, the country Mr Trump praised as the United States’ closest ally in the region.

His address to the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament, was expected to be the easiest part of his whistle-stop tour of the Middle East.

"The world needs more Trumps," is how Mr Amir Ohana, the Speaker of the Israeli Parliament, greeted the US President as he entered Israel's legislature.

Mr Ohana also promised that he would enlist the support of parliamentary speakers around the world in nominating Mr Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2026.

Israeli MPs gave the US President repeated standing ovations; an event initially scheduled for one hour lasted double that.

Yet despite all the backslapping, the differences between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mr Trump over the future of the peace process were clear enough.