Trump: ‘We Actually Do Have a Real Peace in the Middle East’https://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5218674-trump-%E2%80%98we-actually-do-have-real-peace-middle-east%E2%80%99
Trump: ‘We Actually Do Have a Real Peace in the Middle East’
US President Donald Trump delivers remarks during the Congressional Ball in the Grand Foyer of the White House in Washington, DC, on December 11, 2025. (Photo by Alex WROBLEWSKI / AFP)
Trump: ‘We Actually Do Have a Real Peace in the Middle East’
US President Donald Trump delivers remarks during the Congressional Ball in the Grand Foyer of the White House in Washington, DC, on December 11, 2025. (Photo by Alex WROBLEWSKI / AFP)
US President Donald Trump has said that there are prospects for “a real peace in the Middle East.”
When asked by a reporter at the White House about reports that he was planning to appoint an American two-star general to command the International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza, Trump said Thursday: “We actually do have a real peace in the Middle East ... it’s never happened before and I think it’s very strong actually.”
The ceasefire, in effect since October 10, halted the war but it remains fragile as Israel and Hamas accuse each other almost daily of violations.
The agreement is composed of three phases. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently indicated that he expected the second phase to begin soon.
That phase involves the Israeli army pulling farther back, the ISF deploying to Gaza, and a new governing structure coming into force, including the Trump-led Board of Peace.
Trump told reporters Wednesday that he's planning to announce the Gaza Board of Peace in early 2026.
Gaza’s population of around 2 million is almost entirely displaced, and most people live in vast tent camps stretching along the coast, or set up among the shells of damaged buildings.
Pressure Mounts on Hamas as It Weighs Response on Disarmamenthttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5261094-pressure-mounts-hamas-it-weighs-response-disarmament
Family members and friends mourn outside the Nasser Hospital, the day after a Palestinian was killed in an Israeli strike in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip on April 10, 2026. (AFP)
Pressure Mounts on Hamas as It Weighs Response on Disarmament
Family members and friends mourn outside the Nasser Hospital, the day after a Palestinian was killed in an Israeli strike in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip on April 10, 2026. (AFP)
Diplomatic momentum is building around a Gaza ceasefire, as Hamas and other Palestinian factions prepare their final response to a “Board of Peace” plan on the movement’s disarmament and the second phase of the deal.
Talks were set to begin in Cairo on Friday and Saturday, with more meetings possible, bringing together Palestinian factions, Egyptian officials, and the Board of Peace’s high representative, Nickolay Mladenov.
Mladenov has held several rounds of talks in Egypt with officials and European representatives, following a second meeting last week with a Hamas delegation.
Sources from Hamas and other factions told Asharq Al-Awsat the group will present a unified Palestinian position, outlining its vision and proposed amendments to the plan submitted more than two weeks ago.
The response will stop short of outright acceptance or rejection, the sources said. Instead, Hamas will propose clear amendments and push for deeper negotiations to prevent Israel from using the process as a pretext to resume the war.
The group also aims to convince mediators, the United States, and the Board of Peace to broaden the talks beyond weapons, to include key provisions from both the first and second phases.
In its latest meeting with Mladenov, Hamas stressed that Israel must fully implement the first phase before any move to the second.
A Hamas source said the group would show flexibility with mediators to reach solutions that prevent renewed fighting, accusing the hardline government of Benjamin Netanyahu of seeking a return to war.
Resetting the terms
Hamas and other factions want a new negotiating framework that reflects Palestinian demands, rather than accepting imposed terms without binding commitments on Israel, another source said.
Details of the response remain undisclosed. But earlier discussions suggested handing over a limited number of vehicles mounted with “Dushka” machine guns, which Israel classifies as heavy weapons. At a later stage, factions could retain light arms under a mechanism overseen by mediators as part of a long-term truce.
Factions say they no longer possess what Israel defines as heavy weapons, such as rockets. Their remaining capabilities, they say, are limited to small numbers of anti-armor projectiles, explosive devices, light weapons such as Kalashnikov rifles, and some vehicle-mounted Dushka guns.
Pressure or coordination
Hamas sources acknowledge the group will face significant pressure in the coming talks, but say key mediators in Egypt, Türkiye, and Qatar understand its demands, even as they urge it to scale back proposed amendments.
A senior Hamas delegation has held meetings in Egypt and Türkiye, including with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, both of whom played key roles in the initial ceasefire negotiations.
Hamas said the meetings were part of consultations on Gaza and proposed amendments, denying that it was coming under pressure from Ankara.
The Board of Peace plan calls for full consolidation of all weapons, including light, heavy, tribal, and personal arms. Israel backs the plan. Hamas rejects it in its current form, citing security threats to its leaders and rejecting any link between disarmament and reconstruction of Gaza.
On the Israeli side, Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Israel is awaiting Hamas’s response. If it is negative, the decision would fall to Netanyahu’s government, which may move to enforce disarmament by force.
Israeli sources told the paper all options remain open, but with focus on the northern front with Lebanon, a return to fighting in Gaza in the coming days appears unlikely.
Türkiye, Syria Advance Strategic Partnership to Support Reconstructionhttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5261091-t%C3%BCrkiye-syria-advance-strategic-partnership-support-reconstruction
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (R) and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani shake hands during a joint press conference after their meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, 09 April 2026. (EPA)
Türkiye, Syria Advance Strategic Partnership to Support Reconstruction
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (R) and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani shake hands during a joint press conference after their meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, 09 April 2026. (EPA)
Türkiye and Syria are moving to forge a broad strategic partnership spanning all areas of cooperation, backing reconstruction and efforts to restore stability after 14 years of war.
A flurry of meetings in recent days has aimed to accelerate coordination between the neighbors across multiple sectors.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said shielding Syria from spillover from the regional crisis, including tensions involving Iran, the US, and Israel, is essential.
He said protecting gains toward sustainable stability in Syria remains a top priority for Ankara.
Speaking alongside Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani in Ankara, Fidan said Türkiye would stand by Syria’s efforts.
Ankara is closely tracking the integration of the Syrian Democratic Forces into state institutions and wants the process completed without disruption to safeguard Syria and its neighbors, he added.
Lasting peace in the Middle East will remain out of reach unless Israel stops its expansionist ambitions. He described Israel’s actions in Lebanon as “genocide,” warning that stability cannot be achieved under continued escalation.
Shaibani said Syria and Türkiye have entered a new phase defined by a “strategic partnership,” anchored in the “Four Seas Project,” aimed at turning them into a key energy corridor linking the Gulf, the Caspian Sea, and the Mediterranean and Black seas.
He said talks covered energy, trade, and infrastructure, as well as tighter security coordination to control borders and counter threats to national security.
Shaibani said Damascus is pressing ahead with a comprehensive agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces, with work underway to integrate them into the Syrian army and restore state control over border crossings, oil and gas fields, and civilian institutions.
Both ministers welcomed a temporary US-Iran truce and called for concrete steps to bolster regional stability.
Shaibani said Syria has endured more than 14 years of Iranian interference and militia activity, leaving one million dead, 15 million displaced or forced to flee, and 4 million homes destroyed.
He said Syria supports Arab countries hit by what he called unjustified Iranian attacks and backs efforts to ensure state control in Lebanon and Iraq, rather than armed groups operating outside official authority.
Shaibani said Syria seeks a strategic and economic partnership with Lebanon and supports a ceasefire and the Lebanese government's efforts to resolve issues through national means.
He also called for US and international backing to implement the 1974 disengagement agreement, urging Israeli forces to withdraw from Syrian territory and allow reconstruction to proceed.
After talks with Fidan, Shaibani met the US envoy to Syria and the ambassador to Türkiye, Tom Barrack, to discuss regional and international developments.
Earlier, a Turkish-Syrian investment forum in Istanbul brought together Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat and Syrian Economy Minister Mohammad Nidal al-Shaar to boost cooperation in transport, energy, investment, trade, and customs.
Bolat said transit trade through Syria to the Middle East and the Gulf is set to resume after a decade-long halt, with operations expected to begin next week following eased visa procedures for Turkish truck drivers via Saudi Arabia.
He said bilateral trade reached $3.7 billion last year, up 40%.
Separately Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu signed a trilateral transport deal in Amman with Jordan’s Nidal Qatamin and Syria’s Yarub Badr to deepen regional integration and develop transport infrastructure amid disruptions linked to the Iran conflict.
Uraloglu said the deal will ease truck movement, expand rail transport, boost port activity, and expand market access, adding that a Turkish technical delegation will visit Saudi Arabia next week as part of a broader plan to link the Arabian Peninsula with Central Asia and Europe.
Lebanon Asserts Itself at Israel Negotiations, Undermining Hezbollah and Iranhttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5261090-lebanon-asserts-itself-israel-negotiations-undermining-hezbollah-and-iran
Lebanon Asserts Itself at Israel Negotiations, Undermining Hezbollah and Iran
Rescuers work at the site of an Israeli strike carried out on Wednesday, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, April 10, 2026. (Reuters)
Lebanon is set to enter direct negotiations with Israel for the first time, marking a fundamental shift in how the state manages the conflict and underscoring its insistence on sovereign decision-making free of external tutelage.
The shift follows Iranian attempts to preserve what is known as the “unity arenas” in talks due to be held in Pakistan, against firm Lebanese insistence, voiced by President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, that the Lebanese state alone is authorized to negotiate on Lebanon’s behalf.
The talks carry added weight as they come after a series of pivotal state decisions, most notably banning Hezbollah’s military wing and operations and restricting weapons in Beirut to legitimate forces. They also follow steps rejecting Iranian interference in Lebanon, the latest being the expulsion of the Iranian ambassador.
These moves intersect directly with calls to disarm Hezbollah, an issue set to dominate the negotiations, especially as Israel moves to link any withdrawal from southern Lebanon to tangible progress on that front.
The developments have angered Hezbollah. Officials and supporters have sharply criticized the move, going so far as to accuse Prime Minister Nawaf Salam of treason.
Hezbollah supporters also staged a protest against Salam on Thursday and Friday after the government decided to make Beirut a demilitarized city.
Blow to Hezbollah
Lebanese Forces MP Razi El Hage said Hezbollah had bet on Lebanon being included in a ceasefire deal between the United States and Iran, allowing it to declare what he described as a false victory and use it to pressure the government to reverse its decisions.
He said the state is now more serious than ever about imposing monopoly over arms.
People with an image of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah gather as rescuers with heavy machinery work at the site of an Israeli strike carried out on Wednesday, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, April 10, 2026. (Reuters)
Political analyst Ali al-Amine said Hezbollah has long sought to turn political and military developments into what appears to be victory, even if illusory, relying on an organized propaganda machine and its influence over its support base.
“Had a ceasefire in Lebanon coincided with a truce involving Iran, the party would have rushed to declare a divine victory and stage celebrations,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.
But recent developments have undercut that approach, he added. Continued Israeli strikes coincided with the Lebanese state taking action, weakening Hezbollah’s ability to exploit developments in its favor, he explained.
He pointed to Salam’s initiative and Aoun’s efforts to cement the principle that the Lebanese state alone negotiates on behalf of Lebanon, a shift that has angered Hezbollah.
Hezbollah’s problem is exclusion
Al-Amine said Hezbollah’s core problem is not with the negotiations themselves. The party has long taken part in them through Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, including during maritime border talks.
“The issue now is that it no longer leads or monopolizes this track, nor does Iran behind it,” he said.
He added that Salam’s clear statement that Lebanon negotiates for itself, followed by Aoun’s backing, marked a turning point. Hezbollah responded with a political campaign that went as far as accusing Salam of being “Zionist.”
Israel’s announcement that it is ready to negotiate deepened the shock, he said, not because of the talks themselves but because the initiative had slipped from Hezbollah’s hands.
Women gesture while looking out from a window of a damaged building at the site of an Israeli strike carried out on Wednesday, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, April 10, 2026. (Reuters)
Al-Amine also pointed to a shift in the US approach, with no back channels opened with Hezbollah and clear support instead for the Lebanese government as the sole negotiating party.
Test for the state
As the outcome of the talks remains uncertain, al-Amine said the next phase hinges on the Lebanese state, particularly Salam and Aoun, taking practical steps to strengthen its position.
Chief among these is implementing the decision to make Beirut a demilitarized city, a key step toward restoring state authority and institutions, he said, noting that success will require serious Arab and international backing.
Hage said the negotiations mark a step forward and will focus on one central issue, the state’s ability to guarantee exclusive control over arms.
He added that Lebanese Forces ministers had submitted a memorandum to the Cabinet outlining a clear legal and political path to exit the current crisis, hold those responsible to account, and pursue Iran in international forums over the losses caused by Hezbollah dragging Lebanon to the war.
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