HOW PEACE CAN TRANSFORM WEST ASIA FOR GOOD

Though Trump’s latest stance on Gaza has weakened the prospect of a lasting peace deal between Hamas and Israel, we must see how such a deal can transform the whole region

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THE horrific war between Hamas and Israel in Gaza and beyond has severely affected West Asia, fuelling profound instability and bringing barely-recessed ethnic divisions to the fore with a renewed intensity of vengeance. The recent ceasefire agreement inked in Doha, mid-wifed by US and Qatari mediators and supplemented by earlier resolutions of the UN Security Council and General Assembly, marked a critical juncture for Israel and the broader region. Given the actions of last week, the hope for a lasting peace beyond the ceasefire seems shaky.

The ceasefire, which kicked in a day before Donald Trump took oath as president for the second time, has brought much-needed relief to the beleaguered residents of Gaza. It has brought respite to the families of the released Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and perhaps a sense of closure for the families of the Israeli hostages who have either died in captivity or were killed in acts of retribution.

A cessation of violence, even if it stays only for the first phase of six weeks of truce before the later phases of settlement and reconstruction, would open doors to the resources Gaza requires to make the enclave liveable in the interim.

For Israel, it would bring relief from more casualties, psychological strain and economic setbacks.

However, some big challenges remain in Gaza, Tel Aviv and Washington. Hamas faces internal dissent from factions opposed to reconciliation. In Israel, while 24 ministers supported the deal, eight opposed it. The Benjamin Netanyahu government's security minister, Itamar BenGvir, resigned in protest against the hostages-for-prisoners swap, and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened to topple the government. But the biggest threat to the prospect of lasting peace may have emanated from Washington, where Trump recently met Netanyahu.