Trump, hailing a ‘new Middle East,’ avoids the hard questions ahead

A ceasefire in the two-year Israel-Gaza war, the release of remaining Israeli hostages, and the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza were welcome first steps in addressing the long-running conflict in the Middle East. Whether they will mark what President Donald Trump on Monday called the “historic dawn of a new Middle East” is another matter entirely.

During a whirlwind, 11-hour victory lap in Israel and Egypt, Trump was rightfully congratulated for spearheading the deal that brought both Hamas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to heel.

But in speeches, Trump sidestepped any mention of the seismic chasms that remain in the region — including the West Bank, where about 3 million Palestinians live in an ever-smaller space under increasingly militarized Israeli occupation and threatened annexation.