{"id":302148,"date":"2025-10-14T08:23:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T08:23:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/302148\/"},"modified":"2025-10-14T08:23:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T08:23:13","slug":"ceasefire-in-gaza-trump-and-netanyahus-differing-views-on-peace-going-forward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/302148\/","title":{"rendered":"Ceasefire in Gaza: Trump and Netanyahu’s differing views on peace going forward"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 President Donald Trump<\/a> is declaring Israel\u2019s war with Hamas<\/a> in the Gaza Strip over and has already barreled ahead toward far larger goals \u2014 arguing that the fragile ceasefire his administration helped broker is a chance to bring a lasting peace<\/a> to the greater Middle East.<\/p>\n

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is equally exuberant about the present, but far more measured in his assessments going forward. He\u2019s characterized the deal, which is still in its early stages, as \u201ca proposal to free hostages and end the war\u201d while also saying that his country used two years of often brutal war in Gaza to showcase its military might.<\/p>\n

The pair seemingly offering strikingly different perspectives about the prospects for future peace is noteworthy given just how much each lavished the other with praise during speeches before the Knesset, Israel\u2019s parliament, on Monday. <\/p>\n

But it also reflects just how different the political and diplomatic stakes may be for each leader going forward. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s especially true given that Trump could see his reputation as an international dealmaker tested by a ceasefire<\/a> that could yet prove precarious, while Netanyahu may have to focus on domestic issues and keeping the Israeli electorate happy given that he\u2019s set to face election no later than October 2026. <\/p>\n

\u2018You\u2019ve won\u2019 vs. \u2018Our enemies now understand\u2019<\/p>\n

Trump gleefully added the Israel-Hamas war as No. 8 on the list of global conflicts he\u2019d claimed to have solved \u2014 even if that tally exaggerates<\/a> the role he played in calming some global hotspots. He also declared that the ceasefire would usher in a new \u201cdawn of a new Middle East.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve won,\u201d he said of Israel, encouraging the American ally to see the limitations of military force in bringing about enduring peace. \u201cNow it is time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East.\u201d<\/p>\n

That followed Netanyahu using his own speech to say, \u201cOur enemies now understand just how powerful and just how determined Israel is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recalling Hamas\u2019 attack on Israel two years<\/a> ago that sparked the war, he added that his country\u2019s adversaries: \u201cUnderstand that attacking Israel on Oct. 7 was a catastrophic mistake.\u201d <\/p>\n

Referring to Hamas, Netanyahu said, \u201cThese monsters take babies as hostages,\u201d adding that, \u201cIsrael did what it had to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the past two years, Netanyahu was steadfast in vowing to achieve \u201ctotal victory\u201d over Hamas \u2014 not only returning the hostages released as part of the ceasefire agreement, but also disarming the group and pounding it into surrender. With Hamas weakened but still intact, he\u2019s fallen far short of that goal.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s plan also holds out the possibility of Palestinian statehood one day \u2014 something that Netanyahu and his coalition partners oppose. By declaring an end to the war, Netanyahu could see his government crumble and be forced into an early election at a time when his popularity remains low and his war goals remain unfulfilled.<\/p>\n

\u2018Economic development\u2019 vs. \u2018Civilization against Barbarism\u2019<\/p>\n

Trump has long approached diplomacy like he would deal-making in the business world. He\u2019s now saying that promoting economic interests in the greater Middle East can help bridge divides and foster cooperation \u2014 even among the most bitter of historical foes. <\/p>\n

The president suggested Monday that wealthy Arab countries would be willing to help finance an end to the fighting to promote prosperity in one of the world\u2019s most volatile regions. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe total focus of Gazans must be on restoring the fundamentals of stability, safety, dignity and economic development,\u201d Trump said. <\/p>\n

Netanyahu said he hoped the future would bring, \u201cPeace inside Israel and peace outside Israel.\u201d But rather than echo Trump\u2019s excitement about region-wide unity through economic development, he called for a future \u201cthat will unite civilization against barbarism, light against darkness and hope against despair.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u2018Ready when you are\u2019 vs. \u2018Terror axis\u2019<\/p>\n

Another key point where Trump and Netanyahu diverged was on Iran. <\/p>\n

Trump praised U.S. strikes in June against which he has characterized as a knockout blow against Iran\u2019s nuclear program: \u201cWe took a big cloud off of the Middle East and off of Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n

But he also acknowledged that Tehran may have a role in helping achieve larger Middle East peace, saying that when it comes to Iran and possible negotiations, officials in the U.S. \u201care ready when you are.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know what would be great, if we could make a peace deal with them,\u201d Trump added of Iran. \u201cWould you be happy with that? Wouldn\u2019t it be nice? Because I think they want to. I think they\u2019re tired.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a speech that often drew raucous cheers from Israeli lawmakers, that particular sentiment elicited a muted response. Netanyahu, meanwhile, saluted his country\u2019s \u201camazing victories over Hamas and the entire Iranian terror axis.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u2018Little dot\u2019 vs. \u2018Hamas\u2019 false propaganda\u2019 <\/p>\n

Both leaders spoke about mounting international pressure<\/a> on Israel to end the war \u2014 but to different ends. <\/p>\n

Netanyahu chastised the global community for having \u201cbought into Hamas\u2019 false propaganda\u201d and said that doing so saw \u201cmore and more governments succumb to antisemitic mobs in their own countries\u201d while pushing for Israel to \u201csurrender to Hamas demands.\u201d <\/p>\n

Doing so, he said, would have meant, \u201cIn no time, the Hamas killers would be back on the border fence, ready to repeat the horrors of October 7th again and again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump, by contrast, suggested that Israel might have been unable to continue fighting with Hamas for much longer amid outside opposition from so many corners of a world he noted was very big \u2014 even while praising Israel\u2019s military and political strength. <\/p>\n

The sheer number of people in Gaza killed during the war, the widespread destruction there, and an ongoing starvation and humanitarian crisis<\/a>, sparked allegations of genocide denied by Israel.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis piece of land is very small\u201d Trump said. \u201cYou have this little dot, and think of what you\u2019ve done. It\u2019s incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mutual admiration. But no joint participation in Egypt summit<\/p>\n

Trump hailed Netanyahu repeatedly, and even took the extraordinary step of suggesting that the prime minister be pardoned in an ongoing corruption probe.<\/p>\n

\u201cCigars and champagne, who the hell cares about that?\u201d Trump asked. <\/p>\n

That was a reference to three corruption cases<\/a> for which Netanyahu has been indicted. One involves accusations the prime minster and his wife accepted luxury goods \u2014 including cigars and champagne \u2014 in exchange for political favors. <\/p>\n

After Trump was snubbed by the Nobel Peace Prize last week, meanwhile, Netanyahu promised to nominate Trump as the first non-Israeli to receive the Israel Prize, the country\u2019s highest honor.<\/p>\n

Still, such praise didn\u2019t lead to both men heading to Egypt after finishing their speeches. <\/p>\n

Trump left Israel to attend what the White House has billed as a \u201c peace summit<\/a> \u201d featuring 20-plus world leaders in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Netanyahu was invited, but declined on Monday. His office said it was too close to the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 President Donald Trump is declaring Israel\u2019s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip over and…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":302149,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[97,372,69,57,4527,3464,83,99,3462,373,3097,3463,50,80,96,93,103,107],"class_list":{"0":"post-302148","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-2024-2025-mideast-wars","9":"tag-benjamin-netanyahu","10":"tag-donald-trump","11":"tag-general-news","12":"tag-hamas","13":"tag-international-agreements","14":"tag-iran","15":"tag-israel","16":"tag-israel-government","17":"tag-israel-hamas-war","18":"tag-middle-east","19":"tag-mideast-wars","20":"tag-news","21":"tag-politics","22":"tag-war-and-unrest","23":"tag-washington-news","24":"tag-world","25":"tag-world-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115371560445678122","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=302148"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302148\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/302149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=302148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=302148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=302148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}