Trump’s peace plan not without critique
Nader Hashemi, a professor of Middle East politics at Georgetown University, welcomes the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas that the U.S. has brokered. But he says he remains skeptical that the deal alone will mean a lasting peace, as it lacks the necessary details.
Now that Trump’s speech is over, let’s zoom out a bit.
The day has been marked with lots of relief and celebration, as Israelis welcomed the remaining living hostages home and Palestinians received nearly 2,000 freed prisoners from Israel. This swap was a central point of the first phase of ending the war, according to the Trump administration.
The focus is now shifting to next steps.
Some experts, while hopeful, are worried that Trump’s plan won’t be effective.
Nader Hashemi, a professor of Middle East politics at Georgetown University, told CBC News Network he believes it’s a “gross distortion” to think Monday’s events mark a possibility for broader regional peace.
“This peace plan that Donald Trump is touting as being the best peace plan in thousands of years was a peace plan that was put together where one of the two parties to the conflict — the Palestinians — had no voice,” Hashemi said. “It was largely an Israeli peace plan that was drawn up with the Trump administration and input from Arab dictators.”
Hashemi is hopeful for peace and reconciliation between Palestinians and Israelis “based on equality and safety and security,” but worries “this is not the plan that will get us there.”
The concern, according to Hashemi, is that Trump’s peace plan will only offer a temporary pause in fighting, as opposed to a permanent resolution of the decades-long conflict.
