Trump's Peace Plan

Voices from the Arab press: Reading the Jeddah statement

A weekly selection of opinions and analyses from the Arab media around the world.

SAUDI CROWN PRINCE Mohammed bin Salman (R) receives Bahrain’s King Sheikh Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa ahead of an exceptional meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council – the first in-person meeting of Gulf leaders since their states became a front in the Iran war two months ago – in Jeddah, April 28.
YOUNG PALESTINIAN workers break up concrete while working on rubble in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.

Hamas is preventing Gazan contractors from crossing Yellow Line to rebuild Rafah - report

Palestinian members of al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement.

Hamas disarmament talks stuck between Israeli security and Gaza guarantees - exclusive

An illustration of oil barrels, pipelines, and drills, over the backdrop of US and Iranian flags.

Oil surges, stocks fall as US-Iran tensions threaten Strait of Hormuz shipping flows driving risk


A Jewish-Muslim ‘Nostra Aetate’ could reshape the Middle East - opinion

Sixty years after Nostra Aetate, the world needs another act of courage, this time between Jews and Muslims. May we have the faith to hold fast to that divine rope, together.

THE BRIDGE must span Jerusalem’s most sensitive terrain – the Temple Mount, or al-Haram al-Sharif. For Jews, it is the site of the ancient Temple; for Muslims, the place of the Prophet Muhammad’s ascent to heaven, the writer states.

Gaza’s ceasefire at a crossroads: the challenge of stabilization and peace - opinion

As Gaza's ceasefire teeters, international efforts face a crucial test - can diplomacy prevent a return to all-out war and create a lasting peace?

A Hamas terrorist stands guard near the Yellow Line to which Israeli troops withdrew under the ceasefire, as Hamas says it continues to search for the bodies of deceased hostages seized during the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, in Gaza City November 2, 2025.

US pressuring Israel to allow terrorists behind Yellow Line safe passage - report

Despite Israel’s opposition to allowing the terrorists to cross, US officials have continued to pressure the Jewish state, citing Hamas’s willingness to release the bodies of the remaining hostages.

 A Palestinian man is seen detained by the IDF in Rafah, Gaza, in the summer of 2024.

ISF achieving less than full Hamas disarmament will be a failure, lead to future wars - editorial

The measure of success of the ISF will be tangible – the disarmament of Hamas and the dismantling of its tunnel infrastructure, for starters.

A Palestinian sits in an armchair next to the rubble of destroyed buildings, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Gaza City, November 2, 2025

Danon: ISF must focus on disarming Hamas, not becoming another ineffective UN force

For Israel, Gaza ISF's success is defined by results: the complete disarmament of Hamas and the destruction of its tunnels. Ambassador Danon warns against an ineffective, "Blue Helmet"-style mission.

Israeli Ambassador to The UN Danny Danon (C) addresses the committee after United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese presented her report titled "Gaza Genocide: a collective crime" to the UN General Assembly at the UN HQ. October 28, 2025 in New York.

The dilemma of victory: Israel, Hamas, and Trump's role in Mideast peace - opinion

Despite the heavy blows it has sustained, Hamas is far from accepting unconditional surrender.

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at the Knesset last month: Israel’s relationship with the United States now depends, to a great extent, on Hamas’s conduct, according to the writer.

Ireland’s anti-Israel president: Connolly's victory shows where the public leans - opinion

The majority of Irish opinion regards the Palestinian Arabs as a Middle East version of themselves.

CATHERINE CONNOLLY addresses a demonstration against the sale of Israeli bonds throughout the EU, outside the Central Bank of Ireland in Dublin, in May. Last week, she was elected overwhelmingly as Ireland’s new president.

Even with Gaza ceasefire in place, Hamas may still be winning the war - opinion

Hamas is far from gone from Gaza, little progress has been made on 19 out of Trump's 20 points in his plan and not all of the hostages' remains have been returned. Is Hamas winning?

THEN-ISRAELI AMBASSADOR to the UN Gilad Erdan holds up a picture of Yahya Sinwar at the UN General Assembly last year. The writer wonders: If Sinwar came back to life, would he believe that he lost the war, or that Hamas won?

Meitar Law Firm honors ex-hostage Omri Miran in symbolic Ramat Gan poster removing ceremony

The banner, which had called for Miran's release, was displayed prominently on the building throughout his captivity as a symbol of hope and solidarity with hostages' families.

Former hostage Omri Miran attends ceremony to remove his poster in Ramat Gan

Hamas terrorists transferred to new luxury lodgings after hotel eviction - report

The Hamas members were found at a Cairo hotel, have now been relocated to a more secure site with increased security.

Freed Palestinian prisoners released by Israel as part of a hostages-prisoners swap and a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel, gesture, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, October 13, 2025.