Hamas terrorists have released all remaining Israeli hostages. This is a major political success for US President Donald Trump. But he is not yet the prince of peace he portrays himself to be.
It is a historic day for Israel. Families lie in each other’s arms, people cheer, cry. The release of the last 20 living Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on October 7 is a very special moment for the traumatized country. Only now can the healing of the wounds that this attack has torn into Israeli society begin.
Many people in Israel now rightly thank Donald Trump. Because in fact: Without him, without the USA, this hostage deal probably would not have happened. The US President had put massive pressure on all sides and thus made it possible. Many aspects of Trump’s politics deserve loud criticism, but his self-centered way of celebrating himself is inappropriate and repugnant in many moments.
And yet there is no question: the hostage deal is Trump’s political success. If he actually brings long-term peace and an end to the deaths, then Trump also deserves the applause that he always demands for himself.
But he’s still far from being the prince of peace he portrays himself to be. The exchange of the 20 Israeli hostages for 2,000 Palestinian prisoners was an important first step. Trump speaks of an end to the war and a new era for the Middle East. But there are still no details about the future of the Gaza Strip and no sustainable peace in the region. The cheers come too soon.
There is still a lot of work and intensive negotiations ahead of Trump, Israel and the Arab states in the Middle East that require compromises. In the coming days, weeks and months it will also be about building mutual trust. The war was not only launched brutally and bloodily by Hamas, but was also waged by Israel without much consideration for the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip; tens of thousands of people were killed.
video | Tumults at Trump’s speech in the Knesset
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Nevertheless, the US President already counts this conflict as one of the wars that he wants to end. Given this premature confidence, one can only hope that the US government does not lose interest in the Middle East conflict. That would be fatal.
