Trump urges Mideast leaders to put aside ‘old feuds’

President Donald Trump called for a new era of harmony in the Middle East on Monday at a global summit on the future of Gaza, trying to advance broader peace in the region after traveling to Israel to celebrate a U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Hamas.

“We have a unique opportunity to leave old feuds and bitter hatreds behind us,” Trump said, and he urged leaders “to declare that our future will not be governed by the fights of past generations.”

The whirlwind trip, which included the summit in Egypt and a speech to the Knesset in Jerusalem earlier in the day, comes at a fragile moment of hope of ending two years of war between Israel and Hamas.

“Everybody said it’s not possible. And it’s going to happen. And it’s happening before your eyes,” Trump said alongside Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.

Nearly three dozen countries, including some from Europe and the Middle East, were represented at the summit. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was invited but declined, his office saying it was too close to a Jewish holiday.

Trump, el-Sissi, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani signed a document that Trump said would lay the groundwork for Gaza’s future. However, no copies have been made public.

Despite unanswered questions about next steps in the Palestinian enclave, which has been devastated by conflict, Trump is determined to seize the opportunity to seek elusive regional harmony.

He expressed a similar sense of finality about the war between Israel and Hamas in his speech to the Knesset, which welcomed him as a hero.

“You have won,” he told Israeli lawmakers. “Now is the time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate reward of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East.”

Trump promised to help rebuild Gaza and urged Palestinians to “turn away forever from the path of terror and violence.”

“After enormous suffering, death and hardship,” he said, “the time has come to focus on rebuilding their people instead of trying to destroy Israel.”

Trump even gestured toward Iran, where he bombed three nuclear sites during the country’s brief war with Israel earlier this year, declaring that “the hand of friendship and cooperation is always open.”

Trump arrived in Egypt hours late because speeches in the Knesset lasted longer than expected.

“They may not be there when I get there, but we’ll try,” Trump joked after criticizing Israeli leaders for talking so much.

Twenty hostages were released Monday in a deal intended to end the war that began on October 7, 2023, with an attack by Hamas-led militants. Trump spoke with some of their families in the Knesset.

“Your name will be remembered for generations,” one woman told him.

Israeli lawmakers chanted Trump’s name and gave him one standing ovation after another. Some people in the audience wore red hats that resembled his “Make America Great Again” caps, although those versions said “Trump, the Peace President.”

Netanyahu hailed Trump as “the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House,” and promised to work with him in the future.

“Mr. President, you are committed to this peace. I am committed to this peace,” he said. “And together, Mr. President, we will achieve this peace.”

Trump, in an unexpected turn during his speech, called on the Israeli president to pardon Netanyahu, whom he described as “one of the greatest” wartime leaders. Netanyahu faces corruption charges, although several hearings have been postponed during the conflict with Hamas.

The Republican president also took the opportunity to settle political scores and thank his supporters, criticizing his Democratic predecessors and praising a top donor, Miriam Adelson, in the audience.

Trump wants to reshape the region
The moment remains fragile, with Israel and Hamas only in the early stages of implementing the first phase of Trump’s plan.

The first phase of the ceasefire agreement provides for the release of the last hostages held by Hamas; the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel; an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza; and a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from the main towns of Gaza.

Trump said there was a window to reshape the region and repair long-standing strained relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors.

“The war is over, okay? Trump told reporters traveling with him aboard Air Force One.

“I think people have had enough,” he said, stressing that he believed the ceasefire would hold because of it.

He said the chances for peace were made possible by his Republican administration’s support for Israel’s decimation of Iranian proxies, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The White House said momentum is also building because Arab and Muslim states are demonstrating a renewed focus on resolving the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict and, in some cases, deepening relations with the United States.

In February, Trump predicted that Gaza could be redeveloped into what he called “the Riviera of the Middle East.” But on Sunday, aboard Air Force One, he was more circumspect.

“I haven’t known the Riviera for a while,” Trump said. “It’s fucked up. It’s like a demolition site.” But he said he hopes to visit the territory one day. “I would like to at least set foot there,” he said.

The parties failed to reach an agreement on the post-war governance of Gaza, the reconstruction of the territory and Israel’s demand that Hamas disarm. Negotiations on these issues could fail, and Israel has hinted that it could resume military operations if its demands are not met.

Much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble and the territory’s approximately 2 million residents continue to struggle in desperate conditions. As part of the deal, Israel agreed to reopen five border crossings, which will help ease the flow of food and other supplies into Gaza, parts of which are experiencing famine.

Approximately 200 U.S. troops will help support and monitor the ceasefire agreement as part of a team that includes partner countries, non-governmental organizations and private sector actors.