Palestinians

Although President Abbas seems more focused on meeting diplomatic expectations abroad than dealing with burning issues at home, officials should still push him to propose something beyond cosmetic change—both to address the reality in the West Bank and, perhaps, to legitimize the PA’s eventual return to Gaza.

Although the unusually bold demonstrations are unlikely to shake the group’s local control, they have cracked the barrier of fear that Hamas nurtured inside Gaza and offer an opportunity to amplify alternative Palestinian voices.

After boycotting Trump in his first term, Ramallah now seeks to improve the relationship, giving Washington an opening to address the PA’s shortcomings without distracting from other Middle East priorities.

A “four-zone” reconstruction plan could win Arab, Israeli, and U.S. support while avoiding mass relocations out of Gaza.

Under heavy pressure from the Trump administration, the Arab states with the most to gain—and lose—in Gaza should be spending the next two weeks doing everything they can to reach consensus on bold, concrete counter-proposals.

Although the president should avoid cornering such an important ally on an issue as risky as Palestinian relocation, the king will need to present his own concrete ideas about postwar Gaza in order to avoid a confrontation with Washington.

Moving forward with an alternative Gaza plan may not be the president’s first choice, but he could at least take credit for getting Arab states to take action.

Very close allied coordination will be needed to strike the right balance between pursuing viable nuclear diplomacy and giving Israel the weapons and support it needs to use force against Iran if necessary.

All the talk of Hamas emerging from the war with the upper hand contradicts the realities on the ground, where the group has lost its military capabilities, has no hope of substantial outside help, and has failed to ignite the West Bank.