Donald Trump wants to end the war in Gaza. He wants peace between Israel and its neighbors, including Saudi Arabia. And he wants a Nobel Peace Prize.
Against that backdrop, the Americans have drawn up a 21-point plan for peace that is a masterwork of diplomacy. Purportedly adapted from a similar proposal from former British prime minister Tony Blair and finalized by Jared Kushner’s seasoned team at the State Department, the plan addresses all the outstanding issues—from the cessation of fighting and the release of the Israeli hostages to the demilitarization, deradicalization, and reconstruction of Gaza and, ultimately, negotiations on the creation of a Palestinian state. The plan stops treating Gaza as solely an Israeli problem and stresses the regional responsibility for its rehabilitation. It provides the perennially sought “diplomatic horizon” for the Palestinians and an unprecedented degree of security for Israelis. Under the plan, the devastating war in Gaza becomes the catalyst for peace throughout most of the Middle East.
Unless one identifies with Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, radical right-wing ministers who want to evict the Palestinians from Gaza and resettle it with Israelis, and who oppose the slightest mention of Palestinian statehood, the 21-point plan is the optimal solution. But, as with so many previous peace initiatives, the elegance of the concept cannot conceal its flaws. These, as in the past, are liable to prove fatal.
