With the ceasefire agreement signed by U.S. President Donald Trump and the mediating countries Egypt, Qatar and Turkey at the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, and in the presence of leaders from 20 countries, the Middle East took another decisive step toward a lasting peace.
Amid loud applause and cheers, President Trump proclaimed “the end of the impossible” and the beginning of a new era of peace in the region. Moments earlier he had signed, together with the mediators, what he called a “very detailed and binding” document on Gaza, laying out the rules and mechanisms for implementation and setting the foundations for the next phase.
Speaking at the ceremony, Trump said the day was one “millions across the region and the world have been hoping and praying for, for years.” “We achieved what everyone thought was impossible, peace in the Middle East,” he said, adding: “It’s beautiful to see a new and beautiful day dawn. Now the rebuilding begins.” He also expressed “enormous gratitude to the Arab and Muslim countries” that, he said, “helped make this incredible progress possible.”
Egypt’s president said the Gaza agreements “open the road to a new era of peace and security in the Middle East.” The end of the war in Gaza, he added, “must be the end of all wars in the region,” announcing that Egypt will host a summit on Gaza’s reconstruction. Peace, he said, “is not achieved by countries and states, but by people who become convinced that yesterday’s enemies are today’s friends.” He also touched on a core issue still to be resolved: the two-state solution, which he called “the only way” to meet the aspirations of both Palestinians and Israelis and bring the conflict to an end.
A “Messiah’s welcome” in Israel
Trump arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh from Tel Aviv, where he was received by many Israelis as a saviour-figure. After meeting relatives of hostages and holding talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he addressed a celebratory session of Israel’s Knesset, calling it a historic day and “the start of a new era in a new Middle East.”
In a speech lasting over an hour, he said the guns had fallen silent and the region was now at peace, expressing hope it would last. “This is not only the end of a war, but the end of an era of terror,” he said. “It is the historic dawn of a new Middle East.” He praised “my friend” Netanyahu for his “great courage and patriotism,” telling the Knesset that the prime minister’s cooperation “made this day possible,” then inviting him to stand to sustained applause. “He’s not the easiest person to work with,” Trump joked, “but that’s what makes him great.”
Trump went on to thank members of his U.S. administration who helped secure the ceasefire, saying that Secretary of State Marco Rubio “will go down as the greatest secretary of state in U.S. history.” He also made an unprecedented foray into Israel’s internal affairs, publicly urging President Isaac Herzog to grant Netanyahu a pardon in his ongoing corruption trial. Referring to the gifts Netanyahu is alleged to have received, Trump added: “Who cares about cigars and champagne?”
“The forces of chaos are defeated” and an opening to Iran
Across the Middle East, Trump said, the “forces of chaos, terror and destruction that have plagued the region for decades are now weakened, isolated and completely defeated.” He stated that Israel and the United States “prevented a state sponsor of terror from acquiring the most dangerous weapons in the world,” adding that Iran had “suffered a major blow.”
Even so, he called on Israel and Iran to turn the page, saying it “would be wonderful” if a peace deal could be achieved. He asserted that Iran would not restart its nuclear programme and claimed his team could “easily” reach a peace agreement but first, he said, it must close a deal with Russia to end the war in Ukraine.
Another “Handshake Battle”
A new “handshake battle” unfolded between Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron at the Gaza Peace Summit in Egypt, with the Daily Mail noting that their exchange appeared unusually tense.
According to the British newspaper, which enlisted professional lip-reader Nicola Hickling, the brief interaction between the two presidents was more revealing than it seemed.
When the two met, Trump greeted Macron with a smile: “Good to see you; so, you agreed?” Macron, turning his face away from the cameras, murmured a barely audible reply.
Trump pressed on: “Are you being honest?” to which Macron quickly responded, “Of course.”
At that point, Trump tightened his grip on Macron’s hand and said, “Okay, now I want to know why you hurt me. I already know.” Macron looked down and away from the cameras, a reaction the Daily Mail interpreted as possibly linked to Macron’s recent participation in Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s social-media trolling of Trump.
“I’m making peace,” Trump then said, according to the lip-reader. Macron touched Trump’s hand, replying, “Come on now,” but the U.S. president ignored him and squeezed harder.
“I only hurt those who hurt others,” Trump continued, gesturing toward the cameras. Macron replied, “I understand. We’ll see about that.” Trump then shot back, “You’ll see what’s coming. I’d like to see you do it, go ahead. We’ll talk soon.”