Notably, the current ceasefire is United States President Donald Trump’s personal project, rather than the continuation of decades of international efforts to solve the Israel-Palestine problem. It does not contain the necessary references to United Nations Security Council Resolutions that refer to a two-state solution with pre-1967 borders and East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian State. Presenting the current peace deal as a “new beginning” thus risks creating the illusion of a solution. While a new UN Security Council Resolution (2803) has legitimized the Trump plan, its references to rightful Palestinian expectations remain insufficient (unlike in the Russian draft).

An especially urgent danger is the normalization of illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land. According to a recent International Crisis Group report, Israeli outposts are growing more numerous and are being transformed into permanent settlements. Similarly, the introduction of a “yellow line” in Gaza raises the likelihood of partition, with Israel permanently occupying more than half of the enclave. There are too many reasons to be suspicious of Israel’s intent to withdraw from these territories.

Let us not be naive: the ceasefire is just a beginning. As UN Secretary-General António Guterres has stated, the events in Palestine cannot be seen in a vacuum, independent from their past and current context. Many European countries finally took the step of recognizing the State of Palestine, mainly owing to increasing domestic pressure. Although this may be a superficial step, it signals an important shift in the global approach to the Palestinian cause. Israel remains isolated due to its extremist policies, while international sentiment for a just solution is more vocal than ever.

The platform for peace brought by the Trump plan is new, but the problem at hand, and its main answers, have long been clear. The Israeli invasion and illegal settlements must end, and Palestinian statehood must be achieved with due dignity.

For the ceasefire to lead to a permanent peace, the US must take charge of swaying Israel in the right direction. Solving the main conflict of the Middle East would be an immense service to humanity. The US would boost its own prestige, while ensuring the safety and prosperity of its closest ally in the region.

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Israel’s existential worries are also understandable: it is situated in the middle of the Levant, among many hostile countries. But it should recognize what most Jewish intellectuals and elites around the world understood a long time ago: Israel needs normal relations with Palestinians and its other neighbors. If the alternative is to enforce an apartheid state or strip away Palestinian sovereignty, the conflict will only be postponed and amplified, as has been true in the past.

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