Trump: This took 3,000 years to get to... it's going to hold up

Signing the deal in Egypt, he said: “This took 3,000 years to get to and it will hold up too. It’s going to hold up.”

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Signed...Mr Trump puts name to peace deal

By Martyn Brown Political Editor

SIR Keir Starmer and other leaders united behind Donald Trump yesterday after the US president hailed his Gaza peace plan as an “incredible triumph” for the Middle East.

Mr Trump told counterparts at a peace summit in Egypt that the second phase of the historic deal was under way.

He greeted leaders including PM Sir Keir and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in Sharm El Sheikh after a lightning stop to address Israel’s parliament.

The deal’s first phase was the release of 48 Israeli hostages in Gaza — 20 living and 28 dead — and the return of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

Phase two includes attempting to solve the contentious issues of Hamas disarmament and a possible two-state solution.

Mr Trump earlier told the Israeli parliament it was “an incredible triumph for Israel to have all these nations working together as partners in peace”.

Referencing the world leaders, he said: “The people behind me are the greatest leaders, the most powerful leaders, the richest leaders...that the world has ever seen.”

In an extraordinary show of diplomacy, the president greeted more than 20, including French president Emmanuel Macron and Italian PM Giorgia Meloni.

He also shook hands with former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair, who could be running the Board of Peace that sits above the transitional government for the Gaza Strip.

Earlier, Sir Keir insisted it was now “crucial” to implement Mr Trump’s peace plan in the Middle East.