JERUSALEM(National times)- President Donald Trump told Israeli lawmakers on Monday that their country had no more to achieve on the battlefield and must work toward peace in the Middle East after two years of war against Hamas and skirmishes with Hezbollah and Iran. Although the US-brokered truce between Israel and Hamas remains fragile, Trump is determined to seize an opportunity to chase an elusive regional harmony. \u201cGenerations from now, this will be remembered as the moment that everything began to change,\u201d he declared to the Knesset, which welcomed him as a hero. \u201cIsrael, with our help, has won all that they can by force of arms,\u201d Trump said. \u201cYou\u2019ve won. I mean, you\u2019ve won. Now it is time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East.\u201d Trump promised to help rebuild Gaza, which has been devastated during the conflict, and urged Palestinians to \u201cturn forever from the path of terror and violence.\u201d \u201cAfter tremendous pain and death and hardship, now is the time to concentrate on building their people up instead of trying to tear Israel down. Trump even plans to make a gesture to Iran, where he bombed three nuclear sites during the country\u2019s brief war with Israel earlier this year, by saying \u201cthe hand of friendship and cooperation is always open.\u201d The US president will continue on to Egypt for a summit with more than two dozen other nations, although he was running hours late as speeches at the Knesset continued longer than expected. \u201cThey might not be there by the time I get there, but we\u2019ll give it a shot,\u201d Trump joked after needling Israeli leaders for talking so much. There was a chance that Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would join him, and Egypt even announced his attendance. However, Netanyahu\u2019s office said later that he would not be going because the summit was too close to the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah. Twenty hostages were released Monday as part of an agreement intended to end the war that began on Oct. 7, 2023, with an attack by Hamas-led fighters. Trump may meet some of them at the Sheba Medical Center, and he talked with families at the Knesset. Israeli lawmakers chanted Trump\u2019s name and gave him standing ovation after standing ovation. Some people in the audience wore red hats that resembled his \u201cMake America Great Again\u201d caps, although these versions said \u201cTrump, The Peace President.\u201d Netanyahu hailed Trump as \u201cthe greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House\u201d and he promised to work with him going forward. \u201cMr President, you are committed to this peace. I am committed to this peace,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd together, Mr. President, we will achieve this peace.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump pushes to reshape the region<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The moment remains fragile, with Israel and Hamas still in the early stages of implementing the first phase of Trump\u2019s plan. The first phase of the ceasefire agreement calls for the release of the final hostages held by Hamas; the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel; a surge of humanitarian aid to Gaza; and a partial pullback by Israeli forces from Gaza\u2019s main cities. With families overjoyed at the impending reunions and Palestinians eager for a surge of humanitarian assistance, Trump thinks there is a narrow window to reshape the region and reset long-fraught relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors. \u201cThe war is over, OK?\u201d Trump told reporters traveling with him aboard Air Force One. \u201cI think people are tired of it,\u201d he said, emphasizing that he believed the ceasefire would hold because of that. The Republican president said the chance of peace was enabled by his administration\u2019s support of Israel\u2019s 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 broader, decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict and, in some cases, deepening relations with the United States. In February, Trump had predicted that Gaza could be redeveloped into what he called \u201c the Riviera of the Middle East.\u201d But on Sunday aboard Air Force One, he was more circumspect. \u201cI don\u2019t know about the Riviera for a while,\u201d Trump said. \u201cIt\u2019s blasted. This is like a demolition site.\u201d But he said he hoped to one day visit the territory. \u201cI\u2019d like to put my feet on it, at least,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On to Egypt<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n After Israel, the president will continue on to Egypt. Trump and el-Sissi will lead a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh with leaders from more than 20 countries on peace in Gaza and the broader Middle East. The truce remains tenuous and the sides have not agreed on Gaza\u2019s postwar governance, the territory\u2019s reconstruction and Israel\u2019s demand that Hamas disarm. Negotiations over those issues could break down, and Israel has hinted it may resume military operations if its demands are not met. Much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble and the territory\u2019s roughly 2 million residents continue to struggle in desperate conditions. Under 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. Roughly 200 US troops will help support and monitor the ceasefire deal as part of a team that includes partner nations, nongovernmental organisations and private-sector players.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" JERUSALEM(National times)- President Donald Trump told Israeli lawmakers on Monday that their country had no more to achieve on the battlefield and must work toward peace in the Middle East after two years of war against Hamas and skirmishes with Hezbollah and Iran. Although the US-brokered truce between Israel and Hamas remains fragile, Trump is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":113812,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-113811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n