The prospects for peace may seem dim as ever right now but if Hamas can be made to see reason there might still be a place for hope
It is by far the most comprehensive peace deal envisaged for Gaza and Israel. A 20-point plan put forth by US President Donald Trump and his team and agreed to by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proposes something that goes far beyond the usual ceasefire talk and release of hostages and prisoners. The deal promises to bring peace to the most fraught region in the world with multiple players and stakeholders, including the militant Hamas.
The prospects for peace may seem dim as ever right now but if Hamas can be made to see reason there might still be a place for hope. As the one player in this deal who will lose everything, Hamas would have to give up governance of Gaza along with its political role, its considerable arms and tunnel infrastructure and its web of militancy. Will they sacrifice everything for a regional peace that attempts at one sweep to change the very nature of a place and its people.
The prosperous parts of the Arab world, which would like a life of peace for a people already accustomed to the amenities and attractions of modern living, support Mr Trump’s peace deal. So does India which has built a relationship with Israel for strategic and military reasons as a nation as accustomed to life in a region charged with geopolitical tensions. All the world can see reason in this dramatic push for peace by the much-maligned Trump. The saving grace in his complicated persona is he believes in peace.
Of course, the geopolitical swing in such a deal will favour Israel and its neighbours Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza itself. There will be a big role for the USA in supervisory functions in the redevelopment of Gaza even as it would help thwart any Chinese influence in the region, besides throttling Iran’s myopic view of wishing to exterminate Israel by supporting all the terrorist groups that made the region their theatre of operations.
It might appear too grandiose a deal as it also envisages furthering the Good Friday and Abrahamic accords and bringing Israel closer to the stable parts of the Arab world like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE.
Mr Netanyahu may have got everything he wished for including a carte blanche to finish the task of trying to decimate Hamas. But even he would lose something as his political career may come to a dead end if war and bloodshed ends and peace prevails.
Idealistic as it may sound, all the deal asks for is for the militants to give up their lost cause. The deal also comes with the proviso that if Hamas does not agree, they could be destroyed as Israel may be inclined to stay permanently in the Gaza Strip to control it. Will Hamas bite is the big question, but the deal is the biggest opportunity for the whole of the outfit, including its militant parts that causes all the trouble, to become legitimate and aspire for a life in a more peaceful environment.
The Palestinian Authority also appears to be ready to back the plan. However, Hamas’ backers in the Arab world like Qatar and Turkey may have to intercede if the fullness of the proposals is to reach the ears of the movement. The question is whether Iran will stop interfering in the region with money and arms and promote the idea of peace with radicals. A state of Palestine may still be far away, but its day could come in peacetime rather than when a war is still raging.
