A United Nations sidelines meeting chaired by Donald Trump marked a turning point in securing the Gaza ceasefire deal, according to sources involved in the negotiations. The US president, initially advocating for mass displacement of Palestinians, was persuaded to drop that position and instead push for a plan that keeps Gaza for Gazans.
Key figures including Jared Kushner and former UK prime minister Tony Blair convinced Trump that a post-war governance plan was essential, not a complication. This shift allowed Arab states to pressure Hamas by offering a path to Palestinian statehood in exchange for disarmament.
Trump’s stance hardened against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after an unauthorized bombing of Doha in September. Netanyahu was forced to apologize and pledge respect for Qatari sovereignty, while Trump issued an executive order treating any future attack on Qatar as an attack on the US.
The deal also included a US commitment to halt further West Bank annexations, a move Biden had not made. Arab states, led by Qatar’s emir, framed Trump as the guarantor of the process, flattering him into taking a central role.
One negotiator noted: “Once Trump decides to do something, he is like a juggernaut. He really did put pressure on the Israelis.” The ceasefire aims to end a two-year war that has devastated Gaza.
