They create a wasteland ...

The Gaza deal could have been done a long time ago -- so why wasn't it?

OK, I was wrong.

I didn’t think the so-called Trump peace plan could work.

Early days, I know, but so far, so good. For the tens of thousands of displaced, malnourished, traumatised and terrified Gazans, a respite at last from two years of war — and for the families of the remaining Israeli hostages still being held by Hamas, a real hope that their agony is coming to an end.

The tragedy is that we could have got here several months ago. According to the immensely well-connected veteran Israeli peace negotiator Gershon Baskin, who has been in constant contact with both sides over the past two years: ‘What we should know is that this deal could have been done a long time ago. Hamas agreed to all of the same terms in September 2024 in what became known as the “Three Weeks Deal” that I had received in writing and voice message in Arabic and in English. But at that point the response of the Israeli negotiators was that “the Prime Minister did not agree to end the war”.’

Here on Substack, Baskin wrote a fascinating insider’s account of how the deal was eventually done, and I strongly recommend that you take the time to read it. Bottom line: Trump put the screws on Netanyahu and the Qataris, Egyptians and Turks did the same to Hamas.

So what changed? Why did Trump decide to do what Joe Biden was never prepared to do — get tough with Netanyahu?