In the face of a Gaza crisis that is worsening and not nearing resolution, US President Donald Trump’s passivity is baffling. It’s time for him to lean in on steps that can move the war closer to its end. As he considers a possible visit to Israel next month, here’s what he should do to make that visit a success. As the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) prepare to implement Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to take control of Gaza City, Israeli society is riven between those who want to continue the war until Hamas is completely defeated and those who, demonstrating in the streets by the hundreds of thousands, are calling for an end to the war and a deal to bring all Israeli hostages held by Hamas home. Meanwhile, humanitarian conditions in Gaza continue to be appalling and are set to worsen still as the Israeli operation expands. On the international front, Israel’s isolation deepens by the day. Trump deserves credit for helping achieve the hostage deal that was reached during the transition between US administrations. But since then, he has contributed significantly to the worsening of the war, and he has missed opportunities to hasten its end. His proposal to build a “Riveria of the Middle East” in Gaza emboldened extremist Israeli politicians who Netanyahu depends on—Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir—to push for full reoccupation, resettlement, and annexation. Trump evidently raised no objection to Israel’s cutoff of international aid shipments into Gaza in March that brought on a hunger crisis. He failed to use the momentum of successful Israeli and US strikes on Iran’s nuclear program as a pathway to declare victory. And now, he expresses no concern over an ill-founded and, many fear, ill-fated expanded Israeli military campaign. He has seemingly endorsed it: “We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!!” Trump wrote Monday on social media. “The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be.”
How Trump can drive an end to the war in Gaza – Atlantic Council
