JERUSALEM (Realist English). As President Donald Trump departed the Middle East on Monday, he left behind a region that has — at least in his view — turned a page: the hostages are free, the bombs have stopped, and the war in Gaza is over.
Yet, despite the orchestrated triumph of his visit to Israel and Egypt, uncertainty lingers over whether the conflict has truly reached its end.
Trump, speaking before Israel’s parliament, praised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for having the “guts” to stop the two-year military campaign launched after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack. But Netanyahu himself has not declared victory — and the night before Trump’s arrival, he warned Israelis that the campaign “wasn’t over,” citing ongoing security threats.
Far-right members of Netanyahu’s coalition continue to demand further strikes in Gaza, pressing him to reject Trump’s ceasefire framework.
Diverging messages
During his address to the Knesset, Trump insisted the war was finished.
“The war is over. You’ve won. Now it’s time to enjoy your lives,” he said, urging Israel to turn battlefield gains into “the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East.”
Trump warned that prolonging the fighting would tarnish Netanyahu’s legacy and emphasized that “Israel, with our help, has won all that they can by force of arms.”
Netanyahu, however, avoided any public commitment to ending operations. He skipped the joint ceremony in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, despite last-minute efforts by Trump to bring him there, and offered only a cautious line: “I am committed to this peace.”
A vision beyond Gaza
Trump’s administration is now seeking to translate the fragile truce into a regional realignment, expanding the Abraham Accords and bringing Arab states closer to Israel.
“It’s not simply about restoring Gaza. It is about transforming the region,” said Secretary of State Marco Rubio alongside Trump in Cairo.
Arab leaders, however, remain wary. Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, have linked reconstruction aid to guarantees that Israel won’t resume bombing — and to progress toward a Palestinian state, something Netanyahu still resists.
“He’s not the easiest guy to deal with,” Trump admitted, before adding with a grin, “But that’s what makes him great.”
Domestic politics and legacy
In an unusually personal appeal, Trump urged Israel’s president to pardon Netanyahu, who remains on trial for corruption. “Cigars and champagne — who the hell cares?” he joked, referencing the gifts scandal at the heart of the case.
Behind the scenes, Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are working to implement the next phase of the deal. “We’ll be here quite a bit — that’s at the direction of the president,” Witkoff said in Egypt.
As Air Force One lifted off toward Washington, Trump told reporters the day marked a milestone for global peace.
“This is one of the most important days for world peace in 50 years,” Rubio said — prompting Trump to interject, “Only 50? Maybe 100.”
