In his inauguration speech after taking the constitutional oath at the beginning of his second term on January 20, President Donald Trump declared: “My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker.” These words resonated with me, as if they emerged from the depths of his soul.y
It took me back to his first term, particularly the last three months of 2020, when he orchestrated and facilitated the Abraham Accords between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco. It was highly likely that additional countries, especially Saudi Arabia, would have joined later.
Had it not been for the Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023 – which, among other objectives, disrupted and undermined the agreement – we might have witnessed a historic Israeli-Saudi peace deal by now.
Trump’s speech came in an atmosphere of remarkable optimism, just hours after a ceasefire in Gaza had begun and some Israeli hostages held by Hamas had been returned. The war had persisted for 15 months, and the hostages were only released after the president twice threatened to turn the Middle East into “hell.”
This moment in which the hostages are finally coming home deepens the sense that we are at a turning point for the better. It should motivate us to make every effort to transform the Middle East into a region that contributes positively to the world instead of remaining a burden on it.
Iran’s proxy agencies have poisoned the entire region, extending their influence to other continents, where some cities now seem geographically connected to the Middle East due to severe polarization, hate speech, and hostility toward Jews and Israelis. These forces bring nothing but destruction, devastation, and the fragmentation of nations.
In his message to the president upon his inauguration, renowned commentator Thomas Friedman wrote: “We are in a rare moment – similar to the aftermath of the world wars or the Cold War – where everything in the Middle East is subject to change and where everything is possible.”
Friedman advised Trump: “The rewards of success in this mission will be immense, but failure will have catastrophic consequences. This mission is inescapable; either the Middle East is reborn as a strong region with normalized relations, trade, and cooperation, or it will disintegrate into ‘a few strong nation-states’ surrounded by vast areas of chaos dominated by warlords and terrorists.”
How accurate and prophetic these words are. Today, in the Middle East, Israel has established peace with Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, in the order of their respective agreements with Jerusalem.
With the potential inclusion of Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and other nations in the near future, a critical question arises: Are peace agreements alone sufficient to put an end to rivers of blood, hate speech, hostility, and the ambitions of those who seek to ignite the Middle East and obstruct the peoples’ right to integration, coexistence, and collective progress?
My unequivocal answer is: No. The mere signing of peace agreements is far from enough. It is akin to a “newborn child” who requires care and nurturing until it grows strong enough to fulfill the aspirations of many. Here, I am reminded of Egypt’s and Jordan’s peace agreements with Israel.
The Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty was signed in Washington on March 26, 1979, and the Israeli-Jordanian Wadi Araba agreement followed on October 26, 1994. But where do they stand today? Officially, the relationships exist, but on the popular level – which is more critical and the primary target – they are nearly nonexistent.
The Egyptian regime has deliberately fueled domestic anti-Israel sentiment, inciting hostility through all its institutions and across every “visible, audible, and spoken” medium, while presenting itself to the world as a guarantor of regional peace, protecting against the “marauding” Egyptian masses it has driven into extremism. The Jordanian regime has pursued a similar, albeit slightly less aggressive approach.
The unfortunate result? A discourse analysis of Egyptian and Jordanian society following the October 7 terrorist attacks reveals rhetoric even more radical than that of some in Gaza itself.
Peace has become vulnerable to the forces of hatred that have stifled its growth, progress, and prosperity. The late leaders – president Anwar Sadat, King Hussein, Israeli prime ministers Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Rabin, and US presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton – once harbored grand dreams and aspirations for peace, yet those dreams have not been realized.
My greatest fear is that the Abraham Accords, championed by President Trump, may suffer the same fate as the Egyptian and Jordanian peace treaties with Israel if they are not provided with the necessary protection and care.
So, what should we do?
Should we stand idly by while the architects of hatred destroy our present and exact revenge on the future of our children and grandchildren?
Martin Luther King Jr. once made a pivotal statement about peace: “Those who love peace must learn to organize as effectively as those who love war.”
Middle East Peace Parliament
I PROPOSE – and I hope it will be realized under President Trump’s leadership – the establishment of a “Middle East Parliament for Peace.”
This parliament was the dream of Egyptian peace advocate and exceptional political thinker Amin el-Mahdy, who passed away under mysterious circumstances on October 11, 2020. His death occurred shortly after his release from detention, following several days in custody.
Mahdy was my teacher, mentor, and friend, and I owe much of my knowledge to him. For this reason, I am fully committed to making his dream a reality.
He detailed this vision in his renowned book, The Arab-Israeli Conflict: The Crisis of Democracy and Peace, published in 1999. Below is a passage from chapter Six, titled “A Proposal for Dialogue.” This proposal was not meant to be a final blueprint but rather an initial concept. He outlined 19 key points defining the process of its creation.
Mahdy wrote: “It is evident that the conflict in the Middle East lacks a moral, cultural, and political force capable of establishing a lasting presence for the peoples of the region, amid the relentless and intense flow of events that have shaped the history of this struggle.”
The parliament will serve as a “nurturing mother” for emerging peace agreements, fostering their growth and prosperity until they evolve into genuine people-to-people relations built on a firm desire for cooperation, coexistence, and joint efforts, unlike the tenuous Egyptian and Jordanian ones. Its proposed location would be in Jerusalem as a symbol of unity and reconciliation.
There would be a Council of Elders to provide wisdom and guidance. The parliament would issue periodic reports and white papers, including a White List honoring those who contribute to the foundations of peace and a Black List exposing those who actively undermine it.
Will the American president take on this initiative, just as he did with the Abraham Accords? I sincerely hope that President Trump will bring my mentor’s dream – which has now become my own – to life.
The writer is a political analyst specializing in Middle East affairs and Islamic movements, an opinion writer, and a member of the Swedish PEN Association. He lives in Sweden.