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As world leaders arrived at the recent summit in Sharm el Sheikh, an Egyptian resort town on the shores of the Red Sea, they passed billboards depicting President Trump and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt under the words TOGETHER IN PEACE. What kind of peace were they hashing out and who is it for? For Mr. Trump, the common thread weaving together so much of what he does — at home and abroad — is power. Whether he is seeking a cease-fire in Gaza or Ukraine, bombing boats off the coast of Venezuela or deploying troops to American cities, the desired result is his personal aggrandizement and the empowerment of his presidency. When he pursues peace, it is personalized — a deal made with other strongmen rarely addresses underlying causes of conflict. When he makes war, it is also personalized — there is no expectation, for instance, that Congress must authorize his actions. Of course, exhalation was in order earlier this month, when the remaining Israeli hostages were returned to their families, hundreds of imprisoned Palestinians were released and some aid began to move into Gaza. Mr. Trump deserves credit for applying more pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel than Joe Biden ever did. Yet there was little clarity coming out of the summit in Sharm el Sheikh about who would administer Gaza, how Hamas would disarm, or whether Israel would refrain from resuming its onslaught or annexing the West Bank. It felt more like a victory lap than a beginning. Subscribe to The Times to read as many articles as you like.
