The Guardian view on peace in Gaza: the relief is real, but Trump’s promise of a ‘golden age’ rings hollow | Editorial

TThe respite brought by the end of the fighting in Gaza is immense. In Israel, the release of the living hostages sparked widespread exaltation. In Gaza and the West Bank there are also celebrations, as almost 2,000 Palestinian detainees begin to be released – although there is also distress because of uncertainty over who will be released and where they will be sent. In northern Gaza, people can finally return to dig through the rubble to find the remains of around 10,000 missing people.

Just three weeks ago, the likelihood of a ceasefire seemed low. But it paid off, and Donald Trump traveled from Jerusalem, where he was acclaimed in the Knesset, to Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on Monday. There he joined a high-profile peace summit of more than 20 world leaders, including Sir Keir Starmer. The peace plan started there is to be continued at a conference in the United Kingdom. The US president, acting with his international partners, managed to secure this agreement – ​​despite, not because of, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The hope that the deal marks the first step toward Palestinian statehood is understandable – but, given historical precedent, somewhat optimistic. It offers no clear path to sovereignty for Palestinians and risks separating Gaza from the West Bank in the near future. Then there is the utter devastation this war leaves behind. The absence of any timetable for Palestinian self-determination in Mr. Trump’s plan belies empty references in his Knesset speech to the “historic dawn” of a “golden age.”

The American president could not help but polarize and personalize the agreement in his speech. In a moment of relief – with the release of the hostages, the ceasefire and the resumption of aid – he chose to turn it into a morality play in which he alone restored Israel’s honor after the so-called betrayal of former US presidents Obama and Biden. This is despite the fact that the Biden administration attempted a similar deal a year ago: a ceasefire linked to humanitarian access and possible political negotiations.

A plan that deprives one party of meaningful action cannot achieve legitimate peace. The ceasefire and the aid trucks are to be welcomed. But this is not yet political progress. Without mechanisms guaranteeing Palestinian participation and control of its own institutions, any agreement risks freezing subjugation under the cover of the language of peace.

The people of Gaza are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance – and food and medicine must be the first priority. But reconstruction cannot wait. Amid 60 million tons of rubble, Palestinians need help to restore their homes, schools, hospitals, mosques and other institutions destroyed by the Israeli invasion. For Gaza’s transitional administration to succeed, funding must flow quickly and security gaps must be closed. As with much of Mr Trump’s peace plan, references to an international stabilization force and a proposed “peace council”, with Sir Tony Blair, are alarmingly vague.

Strong international support for the Palestinian Authority, allowing it to take over from Hamas, is probably the most promising possibility. The enormous suffering of the past two years means that the moral case for a resolution to the conflict is arguably more urgent than ever. But even if the ceasefire, the return of hostages and Hamas’ commitment to “demilitarize” Gaza should be recognized as positive steps, Mr. Trump’s record gives little reason to believe he will succeed — or that he feels compelled to try. Short-term relief does not mean that the prospect of Palestinian statehood has moved any closer.

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