Daoud Kuttab
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived at the White House this week to discuss a highly complicated issue: ongoing negotiations over the future of Gaza and Palestine.
Netanyahu's negotiators in Doha are waiting for instructions from their boss to finalize a much-delayed ceasefire agreement. The real challenge, however, will be to convert a temporary ceasefire into something permanent. While the Trump administration seems to favor a serious push for a temporary ceasefire, many are wondering whether to expect the end of this brutal war, or merely a two-month pause before violence resumes.
There are multiple reasons both Netanyahu and Donald Trump should be eager for a ceasefire. The U.S. president, despite opposition from many within his own party and traditional allies in the Gulf, took a risk by attacking Iran's nuclear facilities. As a former reality TV star, Trump understands the power of social media images of children in Gaza, starving and dying from the war. Such images resonate deeply with American viewers. This toll is not just humanitarian; it's also political, especially when amplified by the false claim that aid to Gaza is regularly stolen by Hamas.
For Netanyahu, a ceasefire is not a matter of alleviating the suffering of Palestinians, particularly in Gaza, but of managing pressures from Israel's own military establishment. Israeli soldiers are daily paying a price for this war, with resistance forces in Gaza mounting consistent challenges to the occupation. The same day Netanyahu and his wife Sara arrived in Washington, five Israeli soldiers were killed in Gaza. The Israeli military brass sees no point in continuing the war merely to appease a couple of radical cabinet members.
Moreover, Israeli citizens continue to protest daily, demanding an end to the war. They understand that the path to normalcy—one that includes the return of Israeli hostages and the eventual release of Palestinian prisoners—lies through a ceasefire and peace.
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