There can be no greater example of Donald Trump's power than that seen in the last two weeks. The man isn't even back in office yet but he has already forced Justin Trudeau to resign, made Mark Zuckerberg shit himself over possible imprisonment, and now has brought Hamas to the negotiating table and he's reportedly only just getting started.
Trump issued a chilling threat to Hamas during a press conference in Iowa on January 10th, saying
"if they (hostages) are not back by the time i get into office, all hell will break out in the Middle East". “If you don’t come to the table, there will be consequences you’ve never faced before,”
adding the era of 'inaction' was over.
Within hours of the Trump ultimatum, Hamas reportedly wanted discussions with Israeli officials. Hamas, the Islamic group who started the conflict, switched back to playing the victim as soon as they began losing the war, reportedly fear that Donald Trump will unleash the full might of the US army and that they could be wiped off the face of the earth within hours of him giving the order.
Talks are said to be mediated by Egypt in Cairo, with representatives from both sides meeting under tight security. According to sources close to the negotiations, key topics include the cessation of hostilities, prisoner exchanges, and the establishment of a ceasefire framework. No official documents have yet been released, but the Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed that “exploratory talks” are underway.
Trump haters have voiced sharp criticism to his methods. Hamas sympathiser and Labour MP Sarah Davies tweeted, “Trump’s threats are reckless and could escalate violence.” Whilst Palestinian activist Yara Saleh argued, “This is not diplomacy; this is coercion at gunpoint.” On social media, one user commented, “Peace achieved through fear isn’t peace at all.” having previously tweeted a whole torrent of anti-semitism whilst declaring those carrying out the slaughter of innocent people on October 7th 'heroes'.
The Abraham Accords, for which Donald Trump should have received the Nobel Peace prize, facilitated normalisation agreements between Israel and some Arab states but excluded Palestinian 'factions'. The latest UN Resolution 2422, dated December 2024, urged “immediate and unconditional dialogue.”
Donald Trump’s resurgence as the political heavyweight of our time, is reigniting global debate with devision lines being drawn. The left have characterised his tactics as "gunboat diplomacy," but no politician, anywhere on earth, could do what Trump has, and from all accounts, he's just getting started.
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