I’m semi optimistic about Trump’s Gaza deal. In many ways he’s oddly well suited for this task. His transactional nature is exactly what the situation calls for.

Before October 7th I was planning to write an article after visiting the region and meeting with policymakers. What I saw was a rise of post ideological and pragmatic leadership in many Arab states. People were simply exhausted by ideology and endless holy wars. Hamas clearly sensed this shift, which helps explain to some extent why they acted when they did because the trend was not going on their direction.

On the Israeli side there’s also a growing awareness that opinion shifts, especially among right wing Americans making it unsustainable to continue the war while remaining aligned with the future Republican Party which Israel is accountable to and relies on.