Cairo, Oct 15: President Donald Trump called for a new era of harmony in the Middle East during a global summit on Gaza’s future, trying to advance broader peace in the region after visiting Israel to celebrate a US-brokered ceasefire with Hamas.He urged leaders to declare that their future will not be ruled by the fights of generations past.
The whirlwind trip, which included the summit in Egypt and a speech at the Knesset in Jerusalem earlier in the day, comes at a fragile moment of hope for ending two years of war between Israel and Hamas.
Trump expressed a similar sense of finality about the Israel-Hamas war in his speech at the Knesset, which welcomed him as a hero.
He promised to help rebuild Gaza and urged Palestinians to “turn forever from the path of terror and violence.”
Trump even made a gesture to Iran, where he bombed three nuclear sites during the country’s brief war with Israel earlier this year, by saying “the hand of friendship and cooperation is always open.”
Trump arrived in Egypt hours late because speeches at the Knesset continued longer than expected.
The first phase of Trump’s plan calls for the release of the final hostages held by Hamas; the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel; a surge of humanitarian aid to Gaza; and a partial pullback by Israeli forces from Gaza’s main cities.
Trump has said there’s a window to reshape the region and reset long-fraught relations between Israel and its Arab neighbours.
The chance of peace was enabled by his Republican administration’s support of Israel’s decimation of Iranian proxies, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The White House said momentum is also building because Arab and Muslim states are demonstrating a renewed focus on resolving the broader, decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict and, in some cases, deepening relations with the US.
In February, Trump had predicted that Gaza could be redeveloped into what he called “the Riviera of the Middle East,” but on Sunday aboard Air Force One, he was more circumspect. Negotiations over Gaza’s postwar governance, the territory’s reconstruction, and Israel’s demand that Hamas disarm could break down, and Israel has hinted it may resume military operations if its demands are not met.
Much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble, and the territory’s roughly 2 million residents continue to struggle in desperate conditions.
Under the deal, Israel agreed to reopen five border crossings, which will help ease the flow of food and other supplies into Gaza, parts of which are experiencing famine.
Roughly 200 US troops will help support and monitor the ceasefire deal as part of a team that includes partner nations, nongovernmental organizations, and private-sector players.