"I'm on the side of Israel. I've been on the side of Israel, really, my whole life," President Donald Trump said recently. His ten years leading the world, including during the last few days, demonstrate that every word in that sentence was and remains accurate.
President Trump understood that the Israeli public desires two outcomes: the release of the hostages and a victory over Hamas. This is precisely what is offered by the plan developed by his son-in-law Jared Kushner and his friend Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff, who crafted it in full cooperation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ron Dermer. However, President Trump did not merely release a plan and hope it would succeed on its own; he is also providing close accompaniment to its hoped-for execution, preventing the parties – primarily Hamas, but also Israel – from evading their responsibilities.
Let's start with Israel: The depiction that Trump imposed any action on Netanyahu is ludicrous. Trump spoke by telephone with the prime minister and coordinated these matters with him. Given the current circumstances, his plan is, after all, advantageous for Israel, and Netanyahu seeks its implementation. Suspending offensive operations in Gaza to allow the plan to begin taking concrete form on the ground aligns perfectly with Israel's core interests.
IDF did not cease fire
By assuming the new posture, Israel secures support, once again transferring the responsibility to Hamas' court, while the action itself does not involve a heavy security price. The IDF did not, in fact, cease fire in the Strip; it only halted offensive operations. That is, no new territories were seized in Gaza City, but existing holdings remain secured in our control. Our soldiers continue to maintain a presence in the Netzarim Corridor and prevent Gazans from traveling north. Consequently, there were dozens of fatalities in Gaza after the Israeli announcement, made at President Donald Trump's request, of "halting offensive operations." In other words, the perception that Israel prematurely abandoned the war effort is simply inaccurate.
Hamas continues to sweat
Hamas, conversely, continues to face intense pressure. Its sponsors in Qatar, Turkey, Egypt, and even Russia anticipate it will agree to the deal. Naturally, Trump is publicly demanding this from the organization for all the world to witness. If the organization attempts to stall, the entire world, led by Trump, will hold it responsible for derailing the agreement. Let this not be misinterpreted. Israel does not desire such an outcome and is not engaging in "blame games," but genuinely hopes the agreement materializes. Nevertheless, should the framework indeed collapse, it is beneficial that Trump remains squarely on our side.
Therefore, for all these reasons, Netanyahu acted properly when he granted request to halt attacks in Gaza. The bottom line is that success was and remains dependent on implementation. The US is urging the mediators to achieve the release of hostages in the very near future, even before the full details of the deal are finalized. Israel fulfilled its role to enable the agreement to go into effect. It is also preparing for the possibility that Hamas will attempt to lie, deceive, cheat, and waste time. And what is most critical, President Donald Trump has made it explicit that he will not permit such maneuvers. Because he, as he stated, "always was on Israel's side."
