Now after bringing Idan Alexander home, President Trump and his team need to tell Netanyahu to end the war and make the deal to bring the remaining 58 hostages home. Trump is the only person in the world with real leverage over Netanyahu. Trump needs to tell Hamas together with the Arab neighbours that they can no longer rule Gaza and their armed struggle is over. Trump will advance the two states solution during his visit in Saudi, UAE and Qatar – he will hear from the Arab partners, including Abbas, Sharaa and Aoun in his meetings in the Gulf that there must be a political framework to advance Palestinian statehood if they all want to see Hamas’s political and military demise in Gaza and in the West Bank. There is day light between Trump and Netanyahu – which is really quite amazing. Trump is moving forward with his America first agenda and his promise to end wars. This is quite significant – if he now sees the opportunity for bringing an end to the Gaza war. Netanyahu will have no choice -even if it means that his government will fall. Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Minister of National Security, is not the biggest threat to Netanyahu because Ben Gvir with his hubris believes that he will come out better in the next elections. Bezalel Yoel Smotrich, the Israeli Minister of Finance, according to all polls is finished and he will kick, scream and threaten, but if Trump wants the war to end, Netanyahu will have no choice. It is not by chance that in all of the recent video messages that Hamas released from hostages, they all called on Trump to force the deal. Trump brought home a hostage today and while Israel can say that they didn’t “pay” anything for it – Israel did pay – and a big price – the direct over stepping of the United States to Hamas without involving Israel. Trump now has more leverage with Hamas, but he has to deliver the end of the war and a serious humanitarian aid project that will bring relief to the Palestinian people in Gaza where a humanitarian disaster is taking place. There is a chance that Trump will tell Netanyahu that he cannot expand the war and that it has to end. This all may be some very wishful thinking on my part, but it appears that there is something new here in the changing and evolving US-Israel relationship.
Gershon Baskin
Gershon Baskin is one of the most recognizable names in the Middle East Peace process. He is a political and social entrepreneur who has dedicated his life to peace between Israel and its neighbors. His dedication to creating a culture of peace and environmental awareness, coupled with his impeccable integrity, has earned him the trust of the leaders of all sides of the century old conflict. Few people have such far-reaching and positive impacts on promoting peace, security, prosperity and bi-national relationships. Gershon is an advisor to Israeli, Palestinian and International Prime Ministers on the Middle East Peace Process and the founder and director of IPCRI, the Israeli-Palestinian Public Policy Institute. He was the initiator and negotiator of the secret back channel between Israel and Hamas for the release of 1,027 prisoners – mainly Palestinians and Arab-Israelis of which 280 were sentenced to life in prison, including Yahya Sinwar, the current Palestinian leader of the Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The prisoners were imprisoned for planning and perpetrating various attacks against Jewish targets that resulted in the killing of 569 Israelis in exchange for one Israeli soldier, Gilad Schalit. Gershon is actively involved in research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, environmental security, political strategy, peace education, economics, culture and in the development of affordable solar projects with the goal of providing clean electricity for 50 million people by 2020. He is a founding member of Kol Ezraheiha-Kol Muwanteneiha (All of the Citizens) political party in Israel. He is now directing The Holy Land Bond and is the Middle East Director for ICO – International Communities Organization - a UK based NGO working in conflict zones with failed peace processes.
