From ceasefire to statehood? The real test begins now

When a U.S. president of Donald Trump’s stature sets his sights on the Middle East, the global stage shifts. Monday’s summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, co-chaired by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Trump himself, is not merely a ceremonial close to the latest round of bloodshed in Gaza. 

It is a calculated attempt to reframe the conversation — from war to reconstruction, from hostility to diplomacy.

For al-Sisi, it’s a chance to reassert Egypt’s longstanding role as a stabilizing power in the region. For Trump, it’s an opportunity to demonstrate that American leadership, when fully engaged, still matters — and can change the course of history.

But behind the handshakes and speeches, the road ahead remains steep, narrow, and riddled with doubts.

A Terror Network Dressed as Resistance

At the heart of this skepticism is Hamas, the de facto ruler of Gaza and an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood. Its ideology is well known: a toxic blend of political Islamism, militant resistance, and rejection of Israel’s right to exist. 

While the current ceasefire has paused the violence, Hamas’s core identity has not changed — it remains a terrorist organization built on fear, not governance.

Calls for Hamas to disarm are not symbolic. They are essential. Yet the group has shown little inclination toward compromise, let alone the kind of ideological transformation needed to participate in a credible peace process. 

Its weapons and tunnels, its use of civilians as shields, and its refusal to recognize basic norms of diplomacy render trust nearly impossible.

This is the tragic paradox of Gaza: rebuilding cannot proceed while Hamas still clings to arms, but disarming Hamas seems, for now, politically and logistically elusive.

Israel’s Dilemma: Security or Statehood?

Israel, too, faces a moral and strategic crossroad. Lasting peace will require more than military victories. 

It will demand a political vision for the Palestinians — one that includes statehood, dignity, and opportunity. But successive Israeli governments have hesitated to chart that path, often constrained by fragile coalitions and hardline elements unwilling to entertain any compromise on Jerusalem or settlements.

Will Prime Minister Netanyahu be willing to risk his coalition to move toward a political horizon for peace? Or will political calculus once again override strategic necessity?

Reconstruction is not a side issue. The World Bank estimates over $53 billion will be needed to rebuild Gaza — a territory already battered by years of blockade and conflict. 

That number doesn’t include the political capital required to deploy a credible international stabilization force or establish transparent local governance.

Trump may have brought opposing sides to the table, but turning this diplomatic window into a durable peace will demand more than tweets or summit declarations. 

It will take bold diplomacy from European and Arab leaders, financial commitment from donor countries, and — crucially — a willingness to hold all actors accountable, including those who claim the mantle of resistance while acting as spoilers of peace.

A Fragile Opening, Not a Finale

The ceasefire is welcome. The summit in Sharm el-Sheikh is promising. But peace in the Middle East is not made in a day, nor by a single accord. It is earned — through credibility, security, economic renewal, and political realism.

If Trump truly seeks a legacy as a peace broker, he must go beyond optics and force all players — from Hamas to Israel — to face the hard questions they have long evaded. 

Only then can this ceasefire become what the world so desperately hopes for: the beginning of an actual peace.