New drivers of Middle East progress
President Donald Trump鈥檚 Gaza peace plan still has lots of details to be worked out. But its widespread support signals evolving priorities in the region 鈥� and ongoing hope.
President Donald Trump at the Oct. 13 Middle East Peace Summit in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt 鈥� flanked by the leaders of Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar, all of whom were instrumental in negotiating with Hamas. (The emir of Kuwait and prime minister of the Netherlands look on from the second row.)
AP
The last 20 living Israeli hostages abducted by Hamas two years ago are back home. The bombing in Gaza has stopped. And nearly 2,000 imprisoned Palestinians have been released by Israel.
For those reasons alone, many people might agree with what U.S. President Donald Trump told Israel鈥檚 parliament Monday: 鈥淭ogether, we have shown that peace is not just a hope we can dream about, it is a reality we can build upon.鈥�
For Israeli peace activist Maoz Inon, whose parents were killed in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack, hope itself 鈥渋s an action,鈥� an essential first step to creating a better future. And, even as analysts caution it鈥檚 premature to declare peace a 鈥渞eality,鈥� support for Mr. Trump鈥檚 20-point plan to end the Israel-Hamas war is widespread. Its goals cut across sectarian and national boundaries 鈥� from Israel鈥檚 ruling coalition to its opposition parties, from the leaders of Arab Gulf states to those in Turkey and North Africa.
This range of support signals a turning away from the acceptance or expectation of ongoing conflict to a new calculus, one of collaboration and change. In May, the Monitor鈥檚 Taylor Luck described an emerging 鈥渁xis of cooperation鈥� among Arab states and Turkey, which were instrumental in pressing Hamas to accept the peace deal.
Popular demands for moderation and modernization are propelling this shift. Across the Middle East, young people are demanding greater opportunity and representation. Gulf states realize that regional stability is essential to economic growth and to moving beyond dependence on finite oil revenue. Other Arab countries are seeking trade and investment to spur job creation and combat climate change.
Arab countries that have normalized ties with Israel maintained those ties throughout the two-year war in Gaza. In early 2023, Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia and Shiite-led Iran announced 鈥渘ormalization鈥� of relations. And earlier this year, Turkey reached an accord with the 50-year separatist Kurdish movement.
For Palestinians in Gaza, a consensus for cooperation and stability brings some hope for progress. The Trump plan would bring in peacekeeping troops as well as aid for reconstruction. Israelis, too, would benefit, with a break from war. Elections scheduled for 2026 offer an opportunity for them to take stock of political priorities.
It鈥檚 possible that there is enough hope and eagerness for peace that skepticism about the deal is not entirely warranted and that problems will be surmounted.聽As American poet Emily Dickinson wrote of hope, it 鈥減erches in the soul鈥� 鈥� and never stops singing its tune.