Trump's strong-arming of Netanyahu led to a deal. He must sustain that pressure | Mohamad Bazzi

"After nearly nine months in office, Donald Trump seems to have had enough of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, undermining his ambition to establish himself as a global peacemaker. Over the past few weeks, the US president finally decided to use his leverage to force Netanyahu to accept a new ceasefire and stop two years of genocidal war in Gaza."

"On Thursday, Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of Trump's peace plan for Gaza, including an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners and a partial withdrawal of Israeli troops from the territory. It's unclear what guarantees the US gave to Hamas and Arab mediators to ensure that Netanyahu would not resume the war after the hostage-prisoner swap if negotiations on later stages of the deal are stalled."

"It's been clear since Trump took office that he's the only world leader who could effectively pressure Netanyahu to end Israel's war, which has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians and triggered a famine in parts of Gaza. The president has considerable leverage over the Israeli premier: billions of dollars in American weapons and constant diplomatic support for Israel at the UN security council, including multiple US vetoes of ceasefire resolutions over the past two years."

Donald Trump grew frustrated with Benjamin Netanyahu for undermining efforts to end the Gaza war and used U.S. leverage to press Israel into a new ceasefire. Israel and Hamas agreed to a first-phase deal including an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners and a partial Israeli troop withdrawal. Uncertainty remains over U.S. guarantees to Hamas and Arab mediators to prevent renewed fighting if later negotiations stall; earlier truces collapsed when Netanyahu refused subsequent phases and violated ceasefires. Trump moved from proposing radical Gaza plans to personally investing his prestige in sustaining a peace agreement. The Gaza war has killed over 67,000 Palestinians and caused famine; the United States exerts leverage through military aid and UN vetoes.

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