Peace Has Yet to Come to the Region
Not all that long ago, on Oct. 13, 2025, President Donald J. Trump addressed the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament and then flew off to Sharm el-Sheikh, located in Egypt, for a summit sponsored by President Donald Trump.
Ever since then there has been a rash of exaggerations and total misunderstandings of the entire Mideast landscape.
Of the many, many people who talk to me about "The Peace" and "The End of the War," I have to say that the vast majority of them are quite wrong.
They just don't understand the dynamics of the very complicated situation President Trump threw himself into and the great success that Trump accomplished.
But the success was narrow and limited.
This was not a peace treaty.
The agreement that Trump signed is officially named: "Trump Declaration for Enduring Peace and Prosperity."
It was signed only by the president of the United States and three other leaders.
They are, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Over 20 global leaders were present in Sharm el-Sheikh for the signing, but only four actually signed. The others just watched.
Notably absent were representatives of both Israel and Hamas.
The document is officially categorized by the White House as a Presidential Memorandum.
That's what is written right next to the date on its title page.
To state the obvious, a Presidential Memorandum is not a peace treaty.
For further evidence, read the first paragraph of the memorandum:
"We, the undersigned, welcome the truly historic commitment and implementation by all parties to the Trump Peace Agreement, ending more than two years of profound suffering and loss — opening a new chapter for the region defined by hope, security, and a shared vision for peace and prosperity."
What follows are nine short paragraphs which say nice things. The first of those paragraphs begins:
"We support and stand behind President Trump' s sincere . . . "
Followed by:
"We understand"
"We affirm"
"We recognize"
"We are united in our determination to dismantle extremism . . . "
"We hereby commit to the resolution of future disputes"
"We seek tolerance, dignity, and equal"
"We pursue a comprehensive vision of peace, security, . . . "
And, "In this spirit, we welcome the progress"
The conclusion of the memo contains the words, "We commit ourselves to a future of enduring peace."
Hardly a peace treaty, this was simply a very nice statement.
This Presidential Memorandum should not in any way be confused with the Oct. 9 cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
That agreement, which was also signed in Sharm el Sheikh, was officially called "Implementation Steps for President Trump's Proposal for a Comprehensive End of the Gaza War." That document is the first phase of President Trump’s highly touted 20-point Gaza peace plan.
And in stark contrast to the Oct. 13, 2025 document, the ceasefire agreement was actually signed both by Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister, Ron Dermer and by Hamas' senior political leader, Khalil al-Hayya.
President Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, signed for the United States.
Egyptian intelligence minister, Abbas Kamel signed for Egypt.
Qatari foreign minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani signed for Qatar and the final signature belonged to the Turkish deputy foreign minister.
The principles of a ceasefire are very clear and direct.
The parties simply stop shooting at one another.
A cease-fire does not mean peace.
In the Muslim world, there are varying definitions of a cease-fire.
And because we always need to laugh or we would, in times like this, cry I'll share an old joke. The old joke asks "How do you say ceasefire in Arabic?" Answer: "Time to reload!"
Unfortunately, in this case, that might be more than a simple joke.
According to reliable reports, at the time of this writing, Hamas is reconstituting itself.
They are wreaking havoc and taking revenge on Gazans and re-asserting their control over daily activities in Gaza.
That was the price which was paid to get the hostages returned.
It was a price that took those unfamiliar with the region by surprise.
President Trump carved out a brilliant victory.
It's his win. Israeli hostages were released and reunited with their families.
For the first time since Oct. 7, 2023, he brought happiness to the Jewish State.
Insight into our nation's 47th commander in chief is very important here.
Trump sees the world as a series of wins versus losses.
From the American president's point of view, the conflict between Israel and Hamas has ended. He ended the war. By that logic, if it starts up again, it will be a different conflict.
That's why Trump reportedly shouted at Bibi "Take the win!"
He did.
But know this: Israeli leadership will neither be deceived nor swayed.
Israel is still inside Gaza and, at the time of this writing, is adhering to the ceasefire.
Israel withdrew to the yellow line.
That yellow line still gives Israel control over about 50% of Gaza.
At the time of this writing, Hamas, for their part, continued to launch attacks and had not returned all of Israel's hostage bodies. Hamas is in clear violation of the Oct. 9 ceasefire.
The war between Hamas and Israel is not yet over. Peace has yet to come to the Region.
Micah Halpern is a political and foreign affairs commentator. He founded "The Micah Report" and hosts "Thinking Out Loud with Micah Halpern," a weekly TV program, and "My Chopp," a daily radio spot. Follow him on Twitter @MicahHalpern. Read Micah Halpern's Reports — More Here.
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