Gaza ceasefire is Trump's show but don't forget the supporting cast

The US President did not deliver Gaza's ceasefire alone - Qatar, Turkey and Egypt squeezed Hamas to accept a deal. Now comes the hard part: making it last.

- Bhavan Jaipragas Deputy Opinion Editor

A damaged building in Doha after an Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in the Qatari capital on Sept 9. The Israeli attack killed a Qatari official, giving US President Donald Trump ammunition to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about his reckless escalation, the writer says. PHOTO: REUTERS

(PHOTO: REUTERS)

Even if US President Donald Trump had not travelled to Egypt for the Oct 13 ceremony sealing the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, he would still have been the star of the show.

On all sides — the two warring parties, arch domestic rivals like Hillary Clinton, world leaders who irritate him like Russian President Vladimir Putin, and governments far from the conflict including Singapore - all overwhelmingly acknowledge that this outcome would not have happened without the US President.

Yes, there is every chance that the guns will not stay silent for long. After the initial euphoria of the 20 living Israeli hostages being returned and about 2,000 Palestinian detainees freed, the next stages of the deal for lasting peace may not materialise.

But who can deny that Mr Trump's transactional, bullying ways got us to this stage?

To use Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan's words: The fear factor was on Mr Trump's side.

For “a sleek and prowling operator” such as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a deal he had been dead set against for months, a bigger beast was needed. And this was where Mr Trump's unpredictability and willingness to abandon traditional diplomatic niceties made a difference, succeeding where his predecessors stumbled.

As Ms Noonan wrote: “Because Mr Trump scares him, because Mr Trump is as big an animal as he is. Bigger.”