In the last few days, Palestinians and Israelis have been able to sleep through the night for the first time in two years. The fighting has stopped and the living Israeli hostages are home. Tens of thousands of Gazans are returning to neighborhoods where homes once stood, betting that stage two of President Donald Trump’s peace deal will secure a lasting end to the fighting, and the time and aid necessary to rebuild.
From the beaches of Tel Aviv to the halls of the Knesset, praise rang out for the American president. It wasn’t just Israel. Most world leaders have expressed enthusiastic approval for Trump’s peacemaking.
With the end of the brutal war in Gaza, there is, at last, a glimmer of hope for a new Middle East. There are already signs that Saudi Arabia, the custodian of the holiest sites in Islam, is willing to finish negotiations to recognize the Jewish state and become the fourth Arab country to join the Abraham Accords. Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country in the world, is also signaling a desire to normalize relations with Israel.
Bitter foes divided on almost everything shared a moment of real elation on Monday. Everyone, it seemed, was happy. Everyone, that is, except for the activists who have been demanding a ceasefire since Hamas began its rampage through southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
For the “ceasefire now” crowd, the end of the fighting has been a bit of a drag.
