US Gaza Plan Is Working, But Will Take Sustained Pressure

When Donald Trump returned to office promising to end to the war in Gaza, he not unreasonably touted his first term success in negotiating the so-called Abraham accords between Israel and its Arab neighbors as proof he could do it. But it seemed clear from the start that he would face a much tougher challenge this time, because the interests and roles of America’s friends in the region have changed so profoundly.

This has proved true in spades. Until recently there was little doubt that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had won the contest with Arab leaders for the US President’s ear. The result is that the war has continued, fueled in part by by US arms and diplomatic support for Israel. It took a fateful miscalculation on the part of Netanyahu to change the game, after he humiliated Trump and his team by bombing Hamas leaders in Qatar as they discussed a US peace proposal.