Washington, D.C. — U.S. President Donald Trump is set to depart for the Middle East on Sunday, aiming to reinforce his image as a regional peacemaker following the recent Gaza ceasefire agreement that ended months of devastating conflict.
The trip comes just days after the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, bypassing Trump despite his public campaign for the honor. The White House criticized the Nobel Committee’s decision, accusing it of prioritizing “politics over peace.”
Praise Abroad, Scrutiny at Home
While Trump’s Nobel snub sparked frustration in Washington, his Middle East tour is expected to draw admiration from regional leaders, who have credited him with helping secure the ceasefire and the release of Israeli captives from Gaza.
According to Al Jazeera correspondent Alan Fisher, Trump will first arrive in Israel, where he plans to deliver an address on Monday, before traveling on to Egypt for meetings with regional officials.
Both Israel and Hamas have publicly acknowledged Trump’s role in the ceasefire negotiations. However, analysts caution that long-term peace will depend on whether he can persuade Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to refrain from resuming military operations once the captives’ release is complete.
“Trump wants to oversee this closely and send a message to Netanyahu that this is it,” said Mohamad Elmasry, professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies. “Publicly, he’ll likely praise Netanyahu — that’s what he always does — but let’s hope he also applies real pressure.”
A Fragile Truce Amid Global Criticism
Experts note that the ceasefire is fragile, emerging more than two years into Israel’s assault on Gaza, which United Nations investigators have described as a genocide.
“Israel was seeing diminishing returns,” said Yousef Munayyer, director of the Palestine/Israel Program at the Arab Center Washington DC. “After destroying more than 80 percent of Gaza’s buildings and failing to free the captives, continuing the campaign only deepened its isolation.”
He added that domestic political pressures within Israel, coupled with growing global condemnation — even from traditional Western allies — likely pushed Netanyahu toward a truce.
Mounting Pressure on Israel
Despite mounting outrage over Israel’s blockade of Gaza and its regional aggression, including a recent attack on Qatar, the Trump administration has continued to extend both military and diplomatic backing to Tel Aviv.
Critics also point to Washington’s support of the controversial GHF aid initiative, which militarized humanitarian relief and reportedly resulted in hundreds of civilian deaths.
Questions Over “Peace” and Accountability
As Trump prepares to celebrate what he describes as “peace in the Middle East,” rights advocates warn that stability will remain elusive without accountability for war crimes and an end to Israel’s occupation.
“If there’s no accountability for what happened in Gaza, it’s a license for others to commit similar atrocities,” said Nancy Okail, president of the Center for International Policy (CIP). “That undermines global institutions and puts everyone at risk.”
Trump’s visit, framed as a diplomatic victory tour, may bolster his image among supporters. But for many observers, the question remains whether the ceasefire marks the start of genuine peace — or simply another pause in a cycle of destruction.
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