Trump declares victory on Gaza deal, but a lasting peace may be elusive

Was the trip worth it? Almost 20 world leaders, including the leaders of many Muslim and Arab countries, gathered on Oct 13 in Sharm el-Sheikh, an Egyptian holiday resort on the Red Sea, to mark the launch of US President Donald Trump’s plan for peace in the Middle East.

- Jonathan Eyal

Trucks carrying aid driving past tents at the Nuseirat refugee camp in the Gaza Strip on Oct 14, a day after a ceasefire in Gaza came into effect. Almost 20 world leaders had gathered on Oct 13 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, to mark the launch of US President Donald Trump's plan for peace in the Middle East. PHOTO: AFP

(AFP)

The mood was undoubtedly one of celebration, and Mr Trump, who kept the distinguished audience waiting for hours, thanked the heads of state and governments present for the support they had shown during the negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, the radical organisation that rules the impoverished enclave.

But if the world leaders expected to get more details from Mr Trump about how his 20-point plan for peace between Israel and the Palestinians would be implemented, they were sorely disappointed.

Apart from some photo opportunities on a stage decked with the slogan “Peace in the Middle East” and a signature ceremony, there was no discussion at the Sharm el-Sheikh summit on what needs to be done to ensure security and the rebuilding of the devastated Gaza Strip.

Still, Mr Trump was delighted.

“Everybody’s happy,” he declared, adding that he’s done “big deals before” but his latest Middle East treaty “has taken off like a rocket ship”.

Mr Trump’s remark was unfortunate, for in the Middle East, rockets soar only to blow up in people's faces. And that’s precisely what may happen to the latest US deal.

It is now becoming clear that the secret to Mr Trump’s success in ending the two-year Gaza war was his ability to persuade key Arab and Muslim states that, if the US forced Israel to the negotiating table, the Muslim world would do the same with Hamas.