WASHINGTON: It was a typically theatrical moment for the man who loves to publicly boast of being the “peacemaker-in-chief.”
Donald Trump’s top diplomat interrupted a televised meeting at the White House to hand the US president a note and whisper in his ear that a Gaza deal was imminent.
Shortly afterwards he announced the agreement on his Truth Social network. “BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!” he posted.
But while the climax played out in front of reporters, including AFP journalists in the room, most of Trump’s efforts had been behind the scenes, as he sought to pressure a reluctant Benjamin Netanyahu and win Arab support.
Pressure on Netanyahu
Seeking an unlikely Nobel Peace Prize and keen to bolster his legacy, Trump’s approach has been different to the blank cheque he has previously been regarded as giving key ally Israel.
When Trump hosted Netanyahu at the White House on September 29 to unveil his 20-point peace plan, he publicly gave the appearance of being fully behind the Israeli prime minister.
Trump said that if Hamas did not accept the plan then Israel would have his “full backing to finish the job” and destroy the Palestinian militant group.
But in private, Trump was putting on the thumbscrews.
Firstly, the plan he laid before Netanyahu and Israeli officials had already been drafted following extensive consultations with Arab and Muslim leaders at the United Nations the previous week.
When Netanyahu was confronted with it, he found there were key areas in it that he had sworn not to accept, especially on his refusal to allow a Palestinian state.
Arab unity over Qatar attack
Trump was also privately incensed by Israel’s attack on Hamas members in fellow US ally Qatar while negotiations were at a sensitive stage. He used Arab unity against the attack to get them all to agree to the plan.
He then ambushed Netanyahu, making him call Qatar’s leader from the Oval Office to apologise. Trump even sat holding the phone for Netanyahu while the Israeli leader read from a piece of paper, a photo released by the White House showed.
Politico reported that a senior Qatari official was also in the room for the call to make sure Netanyahu stayed on-script. Trump later signed an extraordinary order giving Qatar US security guarantees.
The shift also reflected the close ties that Trump has fostered with Arab states during both his presidencies.
In his first term the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco signed the Abraham Accords recognising Israel.
This time around, Trump’s first major foreign trip was to the Gulf states of Qatar, Egypt and Abu Dhabi — with no stop in Israel.
Seizing on Hamas offer
Trump piled on the pressure, giving Hamas a deadline of October 5 to make a deal or face “all hell.”
Hamas responded cunningly, playing on Trump’s well-documented pledge to win the release of all the hostages held in Gaza. Trump has repeatedly met relatives of the hostages at the White House.
Trump quickly seized it as a win.
He issued a video message and, in an unprecedented step for a US president, reposted the statement by the group that Washington has designated a terrorist organisation.
There was no mention of the fact that Hamas had not fully agreed to most of the other points in his plan.
But instead of quibbling over the details, Trump pushed Israel, Hamas and their mediators to quickly thrash out a deal.
Trump told the Axios news outlet that he had said to Netanyahu: “’Bibi, this is your chance for victory.’ He was fine with it. He’s got to be fine with it. He has no choice. With me, you got to be fine.”
