What Kind of Peace Does Trump Want in the ME Region?

Despite its active role in brokering the ceasefire agreement between the Palestinian resistance in Gaza and Israel, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump exhibits a bias so extreme it borders on outright denial of the Palestinian people’s existence.

While many hope that the ceasefire agreement will endure amid evident attempts to sabotage it—as reflected in statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and some of his extremist ministers—analysts believe that under Trump, the United States might officially engage in a war against Hamas.

During his inauguration on Monday, Trump reaffirmed his desire to expand the normalization agreements initiated during his first term. According to Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative, this signifies an attempt to revive the so-called “Deal of the Century,” which Trump failed to implement during his first four years in office.

Ignoring the Palestinian Cause

Trump also stated during his inauguration that he aims to make peace and end all wars his legacy in his second and final term. Netanyahu, in turn, expressed eagerness to work with the returning U.S. president to “end Hamas’ rule in Gaza and defeat the Iranian axis.”

However, Barghouti, speaking on the “Path of Events” program, dismissed Netanyahu’s remarks as flattery aimed at securing Trump’s support for Israel’s plans to return to war. Barghouti emphasized that such statements align entirely with Israeli interests.

According to Barghouti, Trump’s inauguration speech made it clear that the Palestinian cause has no place in his new administration. He noted that Trump did not mention Palestine or its people, instead focusing exclusively on Israel, its captives, and the normalization agreements he seeks to expand.

Barghouti interprets Trump’s stance as an intentional disregard for the Palestinian issue. This, he argues, stems from Trump’s desire to avoid the financial costs of another Israeli war, which partially motivated his involvement in brokering the recent ceasefire.

Peace on Israel’s Terms

James Robbins, a senior fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council, believes Trump is determined to implement all phases of the ceasefire agreement, aiming to prevent another war and achieve peace. However, Robbins’ version of peace hinges on conditions such as Hamas and other resistance factions disarming, recognizing Israel’s right to exist, and transitioning to political engagement.

Even the “Deal of the Century,” which Barghouti views as an attempt to completely liquidate the Palestinian cause by promoting a fragmented state without an army, sovereignty, or geographic continuity, is framed by Robbins as an opportunity for Palestinians to achieve economic prosperity.

Barghouti sees this perspective as indicative of the U.S.’s true intention: to subdue the Palestinian people, not to establish genuine peace. He argues that the U.S. demands Palestinians accept Israel’s terms unconditionally—a proposition that is fundamentally unattainable.

This U.S. approach is further evident in Robbins’ comments, which attribute Gaza’s 17-year blockade, its destruction, and the attempt to annihilate it during the latest war to Hamas’ refusal to hold democratic elections and its alleged intimidation of opposition voices.

Moreover, Robbins blamed Israel’s annexation of the West Bank and its dismissal of the Oslo Accords and U.N. resolutions on what he described as “Palestinian corruption and misuse of aid funds.”

Denial of Palestinian Identity

Robbins’ views are echoed by members of Trump’s administration, some of whom deny the existence of a Palestinian people altogether. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, for instance, called for the destruction of Hamas and advocated granting Israel unrestricted freedom of action in Gaza, even while maintaining the ceasefire.

Mike Huckabee, Trump’s nominee for U.S. ambassador to Tel Aviv, went further, describing Palestinians as “a group of thieves trying to steal Israel’s land, which was granted to it by God.”

According to Barghouti, this reflects a consistent U.S. policy that seeks to impose a Palestinian leadership entirely subservient to Israeli interests. The U.S. administration, whether new or old, “wants to install a Palestinian figure of its choosing to govern Gaza or all of Palestine under Israeli terms. Otherwise, it will continue to block Palestinian elections and deny their right to self-determination.”

Conclusion

Trump’s vision for peace in the region appears to be one dictated by Israeli priorities, requiring the Palestinian people to abandon their resistance, their sovereignty, and their rights. This approach not only ignores the realities of the occupation but also perpetuates a framework in which justice and genuine peace remain unattainable.