Israel

The Gaza ceasefire is a chance to cement Israel’s normalization with the rest of the Arab world, and perhaps reopen a path toward wider peace diplomacy with the Palestinians.

With Hamas already regrouping, U.S. officials must help craft targeted language that empowers the Board of Peace to oversee a technocratic administration and stabilization force, with the goal of quickly filling the territory’s governance and security vacuum.

Pursuing even incremental steps will be difficult in a country long dominated by Iran’s chief regional proxy, but the two countries’ leaders have cracked the door open for future diplomacy.

The silver lining to the Doha attack may be the newfound “Gulf 3” alignment between Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, whose wealth, diplomatic clout, and good relations with the Trump administration uniquely position them to help on a wide range of pressing regional issues.

Despite the ceasefire, on-the-ground media coverage is unlikely to improve given the tight grip Hamas still holds over the Strip.

Perhaps, given the ceasefire deal, the group will rein in its operations abroad to avoid giving Israel reason to resume the war, but the involvement of senior group leaders in plots targeting Denmark, Sweden, and other countries has justifiably drawn law enforcement attention.

The momentum created by phase one of the peace plan will eventually fade, so the Trump administration must work quickly with its partners to establish clarity on complex issues like disarming Hamas and securing Gaza, and on identifying the actors to implement them.

Executing the president’s ambitious plan will require an army of experts in areas ranging from military command-and-control to community engagement and rehabilitation.

Distinguished former officials and analysts mark two years since the horrific attack on Israel, assessing how best to build on new diplomatic momentum in Gaza while avoiding long-term damage to the prospects of regional integration.