President Trump’s peace plan: A temporary thaw in the Middle East

By Dr. Manoj Kumar Mishra*

’s aspiration for the this year remained unfulfilled as the award went to . Yet, President Trump appeared determined to achieve a breakthrough that could bolster his credentials as a global peacemaker. His administration hastened efforts to finalize the first phase of a peace deal between , a move seen as a calculated attempt to strengthen his claim to the prize and reinforce his image as a mediator in global conflicts. The even declared him the “,” while several countries extended support to his nomination.

The first phase of includes the release and exchange of hostages by Israel and Hamas—an outcome eagerly awaited by both Israeli and Palestinian civilians. The plan calls for a cessation of hostilities, withdrawal of Israeli forces from , and the facilitation of humanitarian aid, ensuring adequate food and medicine reach Gazans. It proposes that Gaza be placed under a transitional authority comprising representatives from , , , , the , and a civil arm of the , with elections to be held within a year.

Both Israel and Hamas have agreed to this first phase. Hamas, whose military and organizational capacities have been severely diminished after months of Israeli operations, now finds itself weakened and isolated. Many of its leaders have been killed, and support from its traditional allies, and —both also targeted by Israeli strikes—has waned. The militant group, devastated and alienated from its civilian base, appeared eager for a truce that would halt the relentless Israeli assault on Gaza.

The Trump administration, until recently, had staunchly supported Israel’s military campaign, continuing to provide arms and political backing despite the staggering civilian toll and deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Trump’s sudden pivot toward peace, therefore, seems less a moral awakening than a strategic recalibration.

Behind Trump’s peace initiative lies both political calculation and an enduring bias toward Israel. Together with , he recognizes that Israel’s international standing has eroded drastically. Global sympathy has shifted towards the Palestinians, and calls for have grown louder. In a in September, 142 countries supported the establishment of a Palestinian state, while only ten opposed it. Trump must have realized that Israel’s unrestrained military operations not only undermined its moral legitimacy but also weakened Washington’s influence in the region. His peace plan, therefore, aims to ease international pressure on Israel and to temper the surging global demand for Palestinian statehood.

However, the plan falls short of addressing the root causes of the conflict. It sidesteps the contentious issue of and fails to engage meaningfully with the broader Palestinian demand for sovereignty and an end to occupation. As long as Palestinians continue to endure humiliation, eviction, and statelessness, the prospect of lasting peace will remain distant. The proposed arrangement may stop the current fighting, but it risks being another temporary pause rather than a durable settlement.

Trump’s peace plan focuses primarily on eliminating Hamas’s control over Gaza and initiating reconstruction under an interim authority, but it excludes genuine Palestinian representation. Many credible Palestinian leaders, particularly those critical of Israel, have been imprisoned or silenced. Without engaging these voices, any peace achieved will be fragile and short-lived.

For now, the “Peace President” may enjoy a brief moment of diplomatic success, but without addressing the deeper injustices at the heart of the Israel-Palestine conflict, Trump’s peace will likely remain just that—a temporary thaw in an unending storm.

---

*Senior Lecturer in Political Science, SVM Autonomous College, Jagatsinghpur, Odisha

Comments

From algorithms to exploitation: New report exposes plight of India's gig workers

By Jag Jivan The recent report, "State of Finance in India Report 2024-25," released by a coalition including the Centre for Financial Accountability, Focus on the Global South, and other organizations, paints a stark picture of India's burgeoning digital economy, particularly highlighting the exploitation faced by gig workers on platform-based services.

India’s road to sustainability: Why alternative fuels matter beyond electric vehicles

By Suyash Gupta* India’s worsening air quality makes the shift towards clean mobility urgent. However, while electric vehicles (EVs) are central to India’s strategy, they alone cannot address the country’s diverse pollution and energy challenges.

Over 40% of gig workers earn below ₹15,000 a month: Economic Survey

By A Representative The Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, while reviewing the Economic Survey in Parliament on Tuesday, highlighted the rapid growth of gig and platform workers in India. According to the Survey, the number of gig workers has increased from 7.7 million to around 12 million, marking a growth of about 55 percent. Their share in the overall workforce is projected to rise from 2 percent to 6.7 percent, with gig workers expected to contribute approximately ₹2.35 lakh crore to the GDP by 2030. The Survey also noted that over 40 percent of gig workers earn less than ₹15,000 per month.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Budget 2026 focuses on pharma and medical tourism, overlooks public health needs: JSAI

By A Representative Jan Swasthya Abhiyan India (JSAI) has criticised the Union Budget 2026, stating that it overlooks core public health needs while prioritising the pharmaceutical industry, private healthcare, medical tourism, public-private partnerships, and exports related to AYUSH systems. In a press note issued from New Delhi, the public health network said that primary healthcare services and public health infrastructure continue to remain underfunded despite repeated policy assurances.

Jayanthi Natarajan "never stood by tribals' rights" in MNC Vedanta's move to mine Niyamigiri Hills in Odisha

By A Representative The Odisha Chapter of the Campaign for Survival and Dignity (CSD), which played a vital role in the struggle for the enactment of historic Forest Rights Act, 2006 has blamed former Union environment minister Jaynaynthi Natarjan for failing to play any vital role to defend the tribals' rights in the forest areas during her tenure under the former UPA government. Countering her recent statement that she rejected environmental clearance to Vendanta, the top UK-based NMC, despite tremendous pressure from her colleagues in Cabinet and huge criticism from industry, and the claim that her decision was “upheld by the Supreme Court”, the CSD said this is simply not true, and actually she "disrespected" FRA.

Death behind locked doors in East Kolkata: A fire that exposed systemic neglect

By Atanu Roy* It was Sunday at midnight. Around 30 migrant workers were in deep sleep after a hard day’s work. A devastating fire engulfed the godown where they were sleeping. There was no escape route for the workers, as the door was locked and no firefighting system was installed. Rules of the land were violated as usual. The fire continued for days, despite the sincere efforts of fire brigade personnel. The bodies were charred in the intense heat and were beyond identification, not fit for immediate forensic examination. As a result, nobody knows the exact death toll; estimates are hovering around 21 as of now.

When compassion turns lethal: Euthanasia and the fear of becoming a burden

By Deepika A 55-year-old acquaintance passed away recently after a long battle with cancer. Why so many people are dying relatively young is a question being raised in several forums, and that debate is best reserved for another day. This individual was kept on a ventilator for nearly five months, after which the doctors and the family finally decided to let go. The cost of keeping a person on life support for such extended periods is enormous. Yet families continue to spend vast sums even when the chances of survival are minimal. Life, we are told, is precious, and nature itself strives to protect and sustain it.

When resistance became administrative: How I learned to stop romanticising the labour movement

By Rohit Chauhan* On my first day at a labour rights NGO, I was given a monthly sales target: sixty memberships. Not sixty workers to organise, not sixty conversations about exploitation, not sixty political discussions. Sixty conversions. I remember staring at the whiteboard, wondering whether I had mistakenly walked into a multi-level marketing office instead of a trade union. The language was corporate, the urgency managerial, and the tone unmistakably transactional. It was my formal introduction to a strange truth I would slowly learn: in contemporary India, even rebellion runs on performance metrics.

Search This Blog