President Trump’s Big Beautiful Peace Proposal
America shines as the beacon of morality, eclipsing western countries intent on demonizing Israel
Editor’s Note:
I returned to Israel on Saturday following a month abroad. Pleasure, business, family, friends. A wedding. A new grandnephew. I am fortunate to have a very rich life in North America and Israel. And one daughter in each place. I always leave something precious behind and look forward to reuniting with another.
This was also an intense visit, in the midst of an unprecedented global vilification of Israel and Jews. My hometown, Toronto, is unrecognizable. Two years of unrestrained Islamist “protests” and violence targeting Canadian Jews is having the desired effect. Jews are on edge and no one in power seems to really care. Law enforcement stands around (in Bermuda shorts with bicycles at the ready) and watches the spectacle. The Free Palestine/hard “leftists” and Islamists have the run of the town, unimpeded. If police are inclined to intervene it is almost always to warn the Jews that they should remove themselves. Go away. “For their own safety.”
I had planned to write a piece looking at the very different experiences of diaspora and Israeli Jews at this momentous time. It is stark and fascinating. But events have overtaken my intentions, and I’ll get back to that in the future. At least, I intend to.
Today is all about the Big Beautiful Peace Proposal unveiled Monday night (Israel time) by President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu at the White House.
There’s so much to cover, so I’ll be brief:
Along with much of the world, I watched the White House press conference on Monday night with high hopes. It began an hour late, but that didn’t matter. Watching the reporters buzz around and listening to the non-stop speculation from Israeli pundits and journalists on Israel’s channel 12 was riveting. Truly. The tension. The anticipation. Indescribable.
Trump and Netanyahu’s staff members began trickling into the State Dining Room, where the press conference was held, in waves. They were all upbeat and smiling broadly. That boded well.
If you have not watched the full press conference, I urge you to do so. It is historic. And a master class in how to get stuff done. Forget about your personal views of either Trump or Bibi. This is a pivotal moment in history. The fact that Trump has been able to bring together so many divergent parties – sworn enemies, some – so quickly and on the brink of an unprecedented breakthrough, is miraculous. Even the most rabid anti-Trumper must acknowledge that. As do all those who oppose Bibi and his coalition government. This is so much bigger than either man.
You can watch the press conference here. It’s about an hour long.
The release of three middle-aged male hostages on February 8, 2025, marked a significant turning point in the way in which Hamas was viewed, especially by America.
Hamas paraded three skeletal men – who needed assistance to walk, having been held in tunnels for most of their 491 days in captivity, chained tightly by the ankles and to one another. Their steps were tortured and constrained by the shackles, meaning they could not move more than three inches at a time. When they went to the crude toilet, someone was chained to them. The humiliations were unceasing.
On the day of their release, Hamas paraded the three men - Eli Sharabi, Ohad Ben Ami and Or Levy - on stage in a grotesque propaganda show. The captives were forced to participate in “interviews.” They were gaunt, hollow, tortured. One of the men, Eli Sharabi, has disclosed since that he was weeks away from death. I strongly recommend that you watch this interview he did recently with CBS News, in English. It is moving and profound.
Sharabi captured many hearts, as did the other two men released that day. I have written about them previously, and interviewed Or’s brother, Michael for a podcast early on in this nightmare. We remain in contact today
President Trump, who has been deeply disturbed by the hostage situation throughout, was clearly shaken by the barbaric display on February 8. He referred to the three men as looking like they had just come out of Auschwitz.
And he mentioned Eli Sharabi, in particular. As the President has done so often, he welcomed Sharabi into the Oval Office shortly after his release. He cared. He cares. You cannot fake that.
Everything changed after that release. Trump was disgusted by Hamas’ gleeful, gratuitous, sadistic torture of civilians. And soldiers. The medieval conditions they were kept in. Filthy. Underground. Starved. Tortured. No medical treatment. He began to insist that they all be released. In one go. “No more of this – two here and three there.” The short clip below, where he makes that comment, is worth a watch.
The Trump Peace Proposal, of course, leaves the western club of terrorist appeasers – led by Canadian Prime Minister and foreign policy naif, Mark Carney – in history’s dustbin. Irrelevant.
My “treatment” of the shameful conduct of Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney, who took it upon himself to “lead” the free world (in his own mind) to bring order and peace to the middle east – was published in the National Post shortly before the White House event.
Carney (with support from UK PM Sir Keir Starmer and French President Macron) way overplayed his weak hand. Aside from degrading Canada’s stature globally, he has ensured that the very stormy trade negotiations with the Trump administration will hit many more shoals than is necessary.
More importantly, his stunt to recognize the State of Palestine, unconditionally, along with Macron and Starmer (and other misguided “leaders”) has backfired spectacularly. As my good friend and superb journalist, Brian Lilley, posted on X:
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
In the hours leading up to the White House press conference, anticipation in Israel was off the charts. I was still wildly jet-lagged but could not resist the invitation to appear on the late afternoon political talk show at the i24 TV studio in Jaffa. The hostess that day pressed hard for a decisive answer: “What’s gonna happen?”
Who knew?
But I did predict the big picture accurately: that Trump would announce a significant proposal for freeing the hostages and winding up the war. I also foresaw the “buy-in” from all significant regional countries but hedged my bets on Qatar.
Here’s a short clip from the Monday broadcast:
Initially, Qatar was very positive regarding the proposal. That was on Monday. On Tuesday, Hamas indicated to CBS News that they would respond officially to the proposal today, Wednesday. That is no accident. Trump had said that Hamas would be allowed 4-5 days to mull.
If they come back in two - as they suggested they would - they are likely to request “amendments” that are excessive. There is no way that Hamas will accept the proposal cleanly. But why respond two days early? Because at sundown this evening, Kol Nidre, the eve of the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, begins. Tomorrow is Yom Kippur. The Day of Atonement. Observant - and many secular - Jews withdraw from the world to take an “accounting of the soul”, or חשבון נפשץ.
(Hamas behaving like this is deliberate. They are well aware that all of Israel - and much of the world - is focused on them. If and how they will respond. And the wait intensifies the psychological warfare waged on the families, the hostages and, by extension, all of Israel. )
I love the concept of an accounting of the soul. It captures the essence of Jewish values and life. Briefly, we are meant to always strive to balance - the holy and profane, spiritual and worldly, in every sense. And so we are to take an “accounting” - a cold, hard tally - of the soul - an amorphous, undefined concept. We are to turn inward, with no worldly distractions on this day, and contemplate our conduct, unsparingly. Balance.
Accounting of the soul.
And today, we wait. We wait for an extreme Islamist terror group to respond to a peace proposal from the president of the United States of America. How wrong. How upside down.
I thought of this paradox as I drove by an intersection near my home in southern Israel today, to pick up my daughter at the train station in Ashkelon. At the junction of Roads 232 and 34 - which Hamas controlled on October 7 - people living in the area gather every Saturday night in support of the hostages and their families. There are many tents pitched there now, where families and others are camped out. They will do anything to keep attention on the dire plight of their loved ones in captivity. Pop-up campgrounds like this are in Tel Aviv and elsewhere. Two years later and the families are reduced to the unthinkable, in their agony. We live this every moment of every day. What they live with is unimaginable.
Back to the main event. What will Hamas do?
Today, Qatar issued a statement suggesting indecision, that there are too many unresolved and vague issues that must be negotiated before Hamas can agree.
Really?
What transpired on Monday was very well orchestrated. Among the key preconditions to Qatar agreeing to support the proposal was that Israel “apologize” for the air attack on a Hamas building in Doha on September 9, in which four men - including one Qatari national - were killed.
Netanyahu agreed to read a brilliantly crafted letter on the telephone to the Emir of Qatar. The photograph issued by the White House of this moment is brilliant. You look at it and see everything. You are in the room and engulfed in the tension and import of the moment.
I wrote about this master class in diplomacy in yesterday’s National Post:
The proposal unveiled at the press conference left each party wanting more but getting enough.
The art of the deal.
As for Hamas, I’m not buying that they have the power or ability to give Qatar the middle finger. The proposal requires that they lay down arms and then relocate to a third country. Or, if they renounce violence (easier said than done) they may be permitted to remain in Gaza. Any Palestinian who leaves of their own volition will always have a “right of return”, ironically. The hostages will be released within 72 hours, max, from Israel’s public acceptance of the agreement. (Israelis were arguing on Monday night as to when the clock starts. After all, Israel clearly accepted the proposal terms on Monday at the press conference.) All. At. Once. No propaganda theatrics.
The proposal sets out ambitious but achievable goals to rebuild and rehabilitate Gaza. Hamas will be stripped of power and barred from holding any leadership position.
Should they refuse the proposed terms then, as Trump warned, Israel will have America’s full support to “finish the job.” Underscoring that threat, last night, Minister of Defense Yisrael Katz announced that Gaza City was almost totally encircled by the IDF, save for one choke point that remained open. Should people not leave now they will be locked into what will become a Hell, if Hamas rejects the proposal.
Also at the press conference, Netanyahu stated that this war can end the easy way or the hard way. But either way, he said in that magic voice and pitch perfect delivery, it will end. Israel will not waver. Hamas, or what is left of it, is being squeezed, hard. And justifiably so. (Hamas reportedly had not seen a draft of the proposal before the press conference (not sure I buy that.))
As I sign off just before the onset of Kol Nidre in Israel we have yet to receive a response from Hamas. From my home, about 15 kilometers (or just under 10 miles) from the Gaza border, I hear constant booms from explosions in the Strip. Israel is not letting up the military pressure on iota.
We wait.
In the coming weeks State of Tel Aviv and Beyond will be introducing some “changes” to take effect in the (Jewish) new year, all intended to enhance the user/subscriber experience and value. So if you have any suggestions about likes, dislikes, and preferences, please share them soon with me at vivian@stateoftelaviv.com
I close today with a reminder that 48 hostages remain in the most savage conditions, in Hamas captivity. For me – and I believe many in Israel – the return of all hostages, living and not, within 72 hours of Israel’s acceptance of the agreement, will be the crowning achievement. This will allow Israel to begin to heal and move forward.
Wishing those observing Yom Kippur an easy fast and may you all be inscribed in the Book of Life.
Signing off from State of Tel Aviv and Beyond HQ in southern Israel, in the Ruchama Badlands. For real.
Thanks for being here. I look forward to sharing the next year with you all.
Show your support for STLV at buymeacoffee.com/stateoftelaviv
