By Douglas V. Gibbs
The deal has been made. Trump signed the peace deal in Egypt, and for now we have something nobody had been able to pull off before: Peace in the Middle East. Trump commented that the deal took thousands of years to finally come to fruition. “Can you believe it?” he said. “And it’s going to hold up, too.” Except, that is not how Islam operates. It’ll hold up for now. It’ll last until they believe it is in the will of Allah to attack again.
Don’t get me wrong. Trump is the great dealmaker, and this is more than simply a hostage exchange and ceasefire; Trump aims to be a businessman about it and bring to Gaza something it never had before. Investors. It’s peace the way a businessman would broker it. He sees it as a “historic dawn of a new Middle East.”
Donald Trump is the greatest comeback story in history with a long list of accomplishments, but the President said this might be his greatest accomplishment, yet. It is something the world has been waiting for since the reestablishment of Israel as a nation. Politicians and historians have suggested it may never happen, yet here it is. No one thought it was possible, but the great negotiator took the art of the deal to a whole new level.
Trump said it was a moment where everyone came together in a way that six months ago would not have been possible. According to President Trump, “they all wanted this to happen. And, it’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.”
Everybody has always wanted this, but it never worked because the negotiators were appeasers and Islam back then knew they had the patience and ability to regroup, re-arm, and hit back again when they believed the environment was on their side. Perhaps, that’s their thinking now. But then again, they never had a deal like this, before.
One thing I’ve always said is that Islam only responds to strength. Trump bombed Iran. He refused to give them, or their proxies, weaponry. He got out of the way when Israel responded to October 7 two years ago, and watched as they waged their war on Hamas. He waited, and didn’t try to stick his nose into the mess until it made sense. Timing is everything, sometimes, and when it comes to making deals Donald Trump is a master when it comes to timing.
Trump hasn’t fallen for the cries for a Palestinian statehood, he hasn’t stumbled under the hard-left’s pleas for going against Israel, but he also recognized that while Islam and Hamas are a part of a bloodthirsty belief system, even they have things they want that can be leveraged when making a deal.
Israel respects Trump’s resolve, and Islamic leaders respect his bold strength and willingness to hit them with military strikes if necessary. The bunker buster in Pakistan during this first term, and the strikes against Iran’s nuclear aspirations during this term was enough to get their attention. This is a man not to be trifled with, but if you work with him the deal-making can be good for you.
Now, as a result, families are being reunited. Hostages held for two years are coming home. “The hostages are back,” Trump said in Jerusalem. “It is a good feeling. Isn’t that nice to say? … It feels so good to say it.”
Crowds in Hostages Square erupted into chants of “Thank You Trump.”
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu proclaimed, “Donald Trump is the greatest friend the State of Israel has ever had in the White House,” before a cheering Knesset.
Middle East investors are now contacting Trump saying they want to contribute to the rebuilding of Gaza. They are willing to put up whatever money is necessary according to Trump. The Middle East, and in particular the Palestinian zones, have always been violent places beyond hope, sucking in American money for the wrong reasons. Now, Trump has turned Gaza into an investment opportunity, and everyone wants to participate.
Calls for a Nobel Peace Prize to Donald Trump have been deafening. The vote went to someone else, but Pakistan is not only adding to the long list of countries and people wanting Trump to receive a Nobel Peace Prize, but added, “I think that you’re the man this world needed most at this point in time.” In other words, it’s time for a recount.
Trump has made peace in the Middle East largely through the help of another past rival, Marco Rubio. The once big-time establishment Republican from Florida has become one of Trump’s biggest allies and accomplices in the road to peace in the Middle East. Trump said, “Marco will go down, I mean this, as the greatest Secretary of State in the history of the United States… and he and I we really fought it out… he was tough. He was nasty. Who the hell thought this was going to happen, Marco, right?”
Steve Witkoff, the United States Special Envoy to the Middle East, also got a shout out by President Trump. “Steve just wants to get the job done. He wants to do what’s right.”
Despite the attacks, the doubts and lack of faith exhibited by Trump’s political opponents, he did what they couldn’t do. The businessman did what politicians could never accomplish. The so-called experts called him someone who had no business in politics. Hillary Clinton claimed he didn’t have the temperament to pull something like this off. The Democrats claimed what they do about every Republican since Barry Goldwater – he’ll start wars. You can’t trust him with the nuclear button.
“Actually, I have a personality that is all about stopping wars,” Trump told a crowd in Jerusalem. “[and] it seems to work.”
It’s gotten to the point that some of the Democrats, even his staunchest opposition in the political ranks and the media, are beginning to give President Trump credit for his peace process in the Middle East. Politicians. Media personalities. Journalists. Except for the loudest voices against Trump regarding Israel. People like Rashida Tlaib. Ilhan Omar. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC). Regarding the peace deal? Silence.
Senator Fetterman addressed that silence, wondering why there are those out there not willing to admit the truth. “Absolute elation…you’ve had human beings held underground for over two years and tortured and beaten and starved. Forced to dig their own graves and things. And now they can finally come back home. And now everyone, now everyone should be celebrating these things.”
But, the winning isn’t over just yet. Now, Trump is ready to make a deal with Iran. He said, “…even to Iran whose regime has inflicted so much death on the Middle East the hand of friendship and cooperation is open. I’m telling you, they want to make a deal. That’s all I do in my life. I make deals. I’m good at it. I’ve always been good at it. And I know what they want.”
Then?
Trump is ready to turn his eyes northward from the Middle East. If Israel and Hamas can come to an agreement, so can Russia and Ukraine.
And this is only the beginning. More than three years still remains of Trump’s presidency. If he can do all of this in a little over six months, what can he accomplish in the next three years? And if the Mid-Term Election strengthens the Republican majority in both Houses of Congress, the sky’s the limit. Peace, prosperity, and making America great again will be just the appetizers.
With all of this winning, I am beginning to feel pretty good about President Trump’s upcoming meeting with the Chinese in South Korea next month. He has a record that can’t be contested, both in strength and deal-making. I wonder if he will be able to make China’s Xi Jinping become putty in his hands. Stranger things have happened…you know, like Israel and Hamas agreeing to one of Trump’s deals.
President Trump is a historic figure that keeps winning in everything he touches, and the world is beginning to realize it.
But…
Islam never decides anything permanently. In a world with Islam lurking in the shadows the reality is that as a threat they will always be there. Another October 7 always whispers as a possibility in the darkness. Public killings still remain in Muslim countries. Women being treated lower than animals is a part of their culture. Fear if one dares to step out of line just a little bit resides in the minds of those who live in Muslim countries. Muslim gangs and violence continues to rock the world no matter which country it is. Islam is not defeated. Peace has simply been achieved for now in a small corner on the south side of Israel… for now. Peace when it comes to Islam occurs when they are too fearful to do otherwise. It is monumental what President Trump has accomplished, and I hope the peace is lasting for a reasonable amount of time, and perhaps even influences other locations around the world; but be assured the primary aim of Hamas is to regroup, re-arm, and prepare for their next opportunity to kill Jews, kill Christians, kill Americans, and kill anyone else they deem their enemy. That is not being doubtful – it is a recognition of a reality that goes back in time longer than the existence of America.
For now, however, the great dealmaker is winning. The dealmaker has brought peace. Blessed be the dealmakers, for people like Trump impacts the world in ways that even the political left cannot deny.
