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T respite brought by the ceasefire in Gaza is profound. Within Israeli borders, the liberation of surviving detainees has resulted in broad celebration. In Gaza and the West Bank, celebrations have commenced as as many as 2,000 Palestinian prisoners begin their release – even as concern lingers due to ambiguity about who is being freed and their destinations. In northern Gaza, civilians can at last reenter dig through rubble for the remnants of an approximated 10,000 unaccounted-for individuals.

Truce Development Against Previous Doubts

Only three weeks ago, the likelihood of a ceasefire appeared remote. However it has come into force, and on Monday Donald Trump journeyed from Jerusalem, where he was applauded in the Knesset, to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt. There, he participated in a high-level peace summit of over 20 world leaders, featuring Sir Keir Starmer. The plan for peace launched at that summit is set to advance at a meeting in the UK. The US president, acting with international partners, did make this deal come to fruition – contrary to, not due to, Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Palestinian Statehood Hopes Tempered by Historical Realities

Expectations that the deal marks the opening phase toward Palestinian statehood are reasonable – but, in light of previous instances, rather hopeful. It provides no definite route to independence for Palestinians and risks dividing, for the foreseeable future, Gaza from the West Bank. Then there is the utter devastation this war has produced. The lack of any timeframe for Palestinian self-determination in Mr Trump’s plan undermines self-aggrandizing allusions, in his Knesset speech, to the “epochal beginning” of a “golden age”.

Donald Trump was unable to refrain from dividing and individualizing the deal in his speech.

In a moment of respite – with the hostage release, halt in fighting and renewal of aid – he decided to reinterpret it as a lesson in ethics in which he alone reinstated Israel’s prestige after purported disloyalty by previous American leaders Obama and Biden. This even as the Biden administration a year ago having undertaken a comparable agreement: a truce connected with aid delivery and future diplomatic discussions.

Substantive Control Crucial for Sustainable Agreement

A proposal that withholds one side meaningful agency cannot yield legitimate peace. The ceasefire and relief shipments are to be applauded. But this is not currently political progress. Without systems securing Palestinian participation and authority over their own institutions, any deal endangers cementing subjugation under the language of peace.

Relief Imperatives and Reconstruction Challenges

Gaza’s people desperately need emergency support – and food and medicines must be the first priority. But restoration must not be delayed. Within 60 million tonnes of rubble, Palestinians need help restoring dwellings, schools, healthcare facilities, mosques and other establishments shattered by Israel’s invasion. For Gaza’s interim government to succeed, monetary resources must flow quickly and safety deficiencies be addressed.

Similar to a large portion of Mr Trump’s diplomatic proposal, references to an multinational security contingent and a suggested “peace council” are disturbingly unclear.

Worldwide Endorsement and Prospective Outcomes

Robust international support for the Palestinian Authority, allowing it to take over from Hamas, is likely the most encouraging prospect. The enormous suffering of the past two years means the ethical argument for a solution to the conflict is arguably more pressing than ever. But although the truce, the homecoming of the hostages and vow by Hamas to “demilitarise” Gaza should be recognized as positive steps, Mr Trump’s track record gives little reason to believe he will fulfill – or deem himself compelled to try. Immediate respite does not imply that the likelihood of a Palestinian state has been advanced.