Gaza and the art of the deal

Mace | 16th January 2026 | Comment, Diplomacy, International
GAZA - AUGUST 6: A view from the air as Jordanian air force personnel in a Jordanian C-130 military aircraft perform an air drop of aid and humanitarian supplies on August 6, 2025 in Gaza. On Wednesday, the Royal Jordanian Air Force carried out air drops of food and other aid over Gaza, alongside aircraft from other nations carrying 54 tons of humanitarian supplies. Airdrops of aid have resumed in recent weeks in an attempt to alleviate the severe lack of food and other essentials reaching people in Gaza, where the World Food Programme (WFP) has said over half a million people are enduring famine-like conditions, as Israel continues to restrict the flow of aid. (Photo by Salah Malkawi/Getty Images)
GAZA - AUGUST 6: A view from the air as Jordanian air force personnel in a Jordanian C-130 military aircraft perform an air drop of aid and humanitarian supplies on August 6, 2025 in Gaza. On Wednesday, the Royal Jordanian Air Force carried out air drops of food and other aid over Gaza, alongside aircraft from other nations carrying 54 tons of humanitarian supplies. Airdrops of aid have resumed in recent weeks in an attempt to alleviate the severe lack of food and other essentials reaching people in Gaza, where the World Food Programme (WFP) has said over half a million people are enduring famine-like conditions, as Israel continues to restrict the flow of aid. (Photo by Salah Malkawi/Getty Images)

Trump secures ceasefire through dealmakers, but long term peace remains uncertain

President Trump’s peace deal was presented on Truth Social with the resounding words from the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the peacemakers”. And certainly, Donald Trump deserved his own plaudits: it was an historic achievement. Without his unique, brash style, setting clear and unambiguous goals, communicating directly on his own social media platform, taking a firm hand with Benjamin Netanyahu, and putting pragmatism first, this deal might not have come about. Peace was his aim, and he achieved it. The art of the deal worked. Yet one aspect of the settlement was striking: the normal peacemakers, elected politicians, professional diplomats, established rulers, were replaced by the president’s dealmakers. Think Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son in law, and Steve Witkoff, his special envoy. Both are pragmatists, property estate developers, who unapologetically see business opportunities in the settlement. Is that a problem? If the outcome of the dealmaking is an agreement which A...

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