Trump's Timing and the Mission to Stop the Killing

Since the announcement of the results of the US presidential election, the world has been living on the time of a man named Donald Trump. We have never witnessed such a scene before. The world did not hold its breath when Russia handed over the keys to the Kremlin at the beginning of the century to a mysterious man who came from the corridors of the KGB named Vladimir Putin, nor when Xi Jinping was crowned emperor on the throne of Mao Zedong’s country.

The world rarely turns to his watch because of a man's appearance. Is it his aura, his country's aura, or the meeting of the two auras? The world knew him in a previous state and tried him, and saw him after that pursued before the courts and in major media outlets, then saw him enter the race again, wanting to restore America's greatness, uttering short, sharp sentences, dancing, surviving assassination attempts, raising his fist, and blood glistening with his red tie.

The world rarely turns to its watch for one man, but he did. It was believed that the Americans had thrown a huge stone into the lake of the global village, and many feared a tsunami that would rearrange the seats in areas near and far. The Europeans know that he does not give the old continent a special place in reading the world with its dangers and solutions. He had previously rebuked them because they place the responsibility of defending them on America and are stingy in paying the price. They know that he is a soloist and that he will not ask permission before launching his surprises, neither from the French president, nor the British prime minister, nor the German chancellor.

The White House is in the hands of a strong man, a man who claims to have decisive treatments for a patient called the world; treatments in security, the economy, immigration, and open crises. His treatments do not rely on the diagnoses of Antonio Guterres and his clinic. The bitter medicine is the deal, and whoever refuses to take the medicine deserves the wrath of Mr. President, who is the only doctor, which is why Zelensky looked sad after the results were announced. The era of open authorization is over, and the era of pumping billions and weapons into Ukrainian veins is over. In the treatment that can stop the advance of the Tsar's forces, Zelensky's country must drink some poison. Putin does not see Russia as a source of great danger, even if the forces of his "friend" Kim Jong Un are brought to Europe. The great danger comes from China, and he has prepared treatments for it that may be painful for its economy and the world economy with it.

The year of the US elections was exciting, and the year in the Middle East was terrible. The people of the region followed the race for the White House to the sound of airstrikes, missiles and drones. To the sound of the roaming massacres, Gaza turned into a lake of blood choking with rubble, corpses and waves of displaced people. Now, the Gazan scenes are being repeated in Lebanon. Let us leave aside the comments on Hamas’s management of the post-“flood” scene, Hezbollah’s choice to launch the “Support Front”, and Lebanon’s ability to bear a regional role beyond its capacity. The first question now is about stopping the killing.

Everyone in the Middle East has the right to love or hate America, and the same goes for Donald Trump, but the people of the region find themselves facing an inevitable reality: the man who has reclaimed the White House is the only one who can stop the killing even before he officially assumes his duties.

A ceasefire is not a new demand. It has been raised several times in recent months, and has always clashed with Benjamin Netanyahu's insistence on completing what he called the goals of the "existential war" that Israel is waging. He went further and spoke of launching a coup against the previous balance of power in the Middle East, and the battle for him moved from confronting Iran's "arms" to exchanging blows with it. Joe Biden tried to work towards a deal in Gaza that includes the release of hostages, and tried to explore the possibility of a ceasefire on the Lebanese front. Netanyahu circumvented all American pressure, and did not want to present a gift to Biden, and seemed to be betting on Trump's arrival.

The Americans gave Trump a broad mandate, which is a pledge to turn the page on wars from Ukraine to Gaza and Lebanon. There are those who believe that Netanyahu is unable to refrain from presenting a gift to Trump, and this is why talk has been renewed about the efforts of the American envoy, Amos Hochstein.

Lebanon needs a ceasefire quickly. Extending the war means extending the disaster. America can accompany the implementation of Resolution 1701 with a pledge to resolve border disputes quickly. The success of the ceasefire requires a Lebanese position that reflects an explicit decision to return the southern Lebanon front to the Lebanese state and remove it from any tasks of a regional nature. The importance of the clarity of the Lebanese position increases after talk repeated in private councils that the countries of the world “will not engage in helping to rebuild Lebanon if the war is to return after a handful of years.”

Removing the southern Lebanon front from the military aspect of the conflict with Israel is not a simple decision for Hezbollah and Iran, but do the Lebanese have another option to stop the war whose horrors and losses have exceeded previous wars? To get out of the tragedy, difficult decisions are necessary, and the Lebanese state has the right to follow the example of Syria and Iraq in their attempt to stay away from the circle of fire, especially after paying a heavy price for residing in it.

The mission of a ceasefire is not easy, it requires a firm and insightful American role. The state in Lebanon must be restored, and in Gaza the doors of hope must be reopened for the Palestinian people, the hope of opening the way to the establishment of a Palestinian state.

*Quoted from Asharq Al-Awsat