🇺🇸 U.S.: "Comprehensive End of Gaza War"

🇺🇸 U.S. - Implementation Steps for President Trump's Proposal for a "Comprehensive End of Gaza War"

Here is the entire text of the declaration, verbatim from Middle East Eye, with specific words and phrases highlighted for semiotic analysis below:

1️⃣ What is happening?

Since the initial attacks on Israel by Hamas on 7th October 2023, Israel has officially been fighting a five (almost six) front war, against Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthis in Yemen, (recent) government-affiliated forces in Syria, and the Iranian military industrial complex. Israel recently also targeted Hamas leadership in Doha, escalating their offence against one of the key mediators in the conflict, and a deep U.S. ally.

The fallout of bombing Doha was swift, with the Qataris releasing strong statements calling Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu ‘shameful’, ‘cowardly’, and ‘reckless’. The United States, who host the region’s largest U.S. military base in Qatar, and have also accepted a Boeing 747 from Qatar as a replacement for their ageing Air Force One, came out in support of the peninsular nation. A personal statement from U.S. president Donald Trump called the attack ‘unfortunate’ and he distanced himself from Netanyahu’s actions. Following this, Trump assured the Emir of Qatar that ‘such a thing will not happen again on their [Qatar’s] soil’.

Shortly after, Netanyahu called the Emir of Qatar to apologise for the unprovoked attack and expressed regret at killing a Qatari security officer (the only casualty). The U.S. then issued an executive order reinforcing American responsibility for Qatari security, a significant upgrade for a non-NATO member. Finally, earlier this month, the U.S. announced that Qatar was building a Qatari air force base on U.S. soil.

All of this, amongst other developments including quickly evolving political and cultural pressures, led to a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas issued this week. And while it is not prudent to see patterns where there may be none, it is significant that progress was made so quickly on this front soon after Israel’s attack on Qatar.

2️⃣ What was written, and to whom?

While it’s not fully clear who all signatories to the document are, it does include mediators from the belligerents Israel and Hamas, along with other mediators from the U.S., Egypt, Qatar, and possibly Turkey. Considering that the document is labelled with Trump’s name, and that his name comes up again in the first point, it’s easy to ascertain that this was written by the U.S. (likely in deep consultation with other mediators), for Israeli and Hamas mediators to agree to.

DECONSTRUCTING THE TEXT

🗝️ Unlocking Meaning

The declaration is, at least initially, more focused on letting everyone know that this is Trump’s brainchild. Perhaps that is deliberate, considering that this declaration came on the heels of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize announcement, which Trump has been gunning for for months. Unfortunately for Trump, the prize was awarded to Venezuelan activist and opposition leader María Corina Machado. However, if this ceasefire (and fragile peace) holds, 2026 could be Trump’s year.

This document also mentions the names of the U.S., Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey as members of the task force. The sequence is significant. The U.S. is listed first because the document itself is written by the U.S., Qatar comes second as an increasingly close (and commercially wealthy) ally to the U.S., with Egypt coming third, and Turkey coming in last. Everybody else is simply labelled ‘other countries’.

The use of quotes for the phrase “Comprehensive End of Gaza War” hints that this may be a direct quote from Trump himself. Nothing like having your words used verbatim in diplomacy.

👑 Power Play

Considering that the U.K., Australia, Canada, and France (major Western democratic Israel allies) all recognised a Palestinian state in September, the foreign policy switch was not expected to ignite much change on the ground. But considering that their recognition came so close to several other developments in the last month, it might have been an impetus to push for a ceasefire.

The true diplomatic winner from this is most likely Qatar, who have once again proven themselves to truly punch far above their diplomatic weight. Their relationship with the U.S. has become even stronger, shifting power dynamics between the U.S. and Israel, and the country has played an active part in reshaping the region that it will likely benefit from in the short-and-long term.

It is worth noting that both Egypt and Turkey get named as members of the task force. Egypt’s name makes sense; they share a border with Palestine and Israel and have had full diplomatic relations with Israel since the 1980s. Turkey is a key bridge that sits between Europe and the region. It also has significant military and economic influence over Syria and the surrounding region, jostling with the traditional regional giant of Saudi Arabia for influence and power. Turkey also, critically, shares a border and historic relations with Iran, the common power behind all of Israel’s bombing targets.

Gazans, meanwhile, don’t get much of a say either way.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Tell me your reasoning. In next week’s issue, I’ll highlight the most thought-provoking responses.

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