"A French Attempt to Clean Up Trump’s Political Garbage"
In a surprising move for many observers concerned with the Palestinian issue, French President Emmanuel Macron addressed a letter of intent to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, informing him that France has decided to recognize the State of Palestine next September. This move was not a corrective measure for a past error, nor a sudden moral awakening. Rather, it was a preemptive action in response to a decision that Donald Trump, in coordination with Benjamin Netanyahu, was planning during a series of meetings in Washington during his latest visit.
This planned move involves U.S. recognition of the annexation of large parts of the West Bank—namely, the settlements and the Jordan Valley—which the Israeli Knesset had already paved the way for with a draft resolution. This would be followed by a simultaneous annexation decision by the Israeli government and its recognition by the U.S.
Following Macron’s announcement, both the Israeli government and opposition reacted furiously, claiming it was a "reward to Hamas." Similarly, several U.S. officials downplayed the significance, with Trump calling it "a move with no political weight."
To complicate matters further, the announcement coincided with the withdrawal of U.S. and Israeli delegations from prisoner exchange negotiations and accusations against Hamas of not being serious about reaching a 60-day ceasefire.
In response, France, along with Saudi Arabia and under the auspices of the United Nations, held a meeting on Monday, July 28, in New York to form an international coalition in support of the two-state solution. This initiative had been delayed by the recent Iran-Israel war, in which the U.S. was directly involved and which lasted for twelve days before ending in a dramatic fashion.
Meanwhile, the region’s chaos continues to mount:
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The Syrian scene grows increasingly complex.
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Lebanon is open to all scenarios.
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Yemen’s crisis threatens international maritime safety in an unprecedented manner.
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Iraq, thought to be stable, is now re-entering the conflict over armed legitimacy.
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The West Bank faces intensified Judaization and settlement expansion.
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The Gaza war remains stagnant, with Trump inviting Netanyahu to "find another path" to end it—like asking him to reinvent penicillin.
As Trump stumbles through the region, he leaves a trail of political waste. Netanyahu, having cornered him into a box of personal and political options with no feasible political solutions in sight, has essentially reduced the entire regional strategy to chaos.
In such a context, someone had to sound the alarm or cry out into the void. And so the story begins—and perhaps ends. But will anyone answer?
Saudi Foreign Minister’s Statement:
He noted that Netanyahu used Hamas early in the 2000s to undermine the Arab Peace Initiative and is now using it again as a bogeyman to justify continued war. Netanyahu is even willing to leave Hamas in a crippled state in Gaza, as long as the Palestinian Authority does not return, supported by Arab countries, to rebuild Gaza and preserve the Palestinian identity.
This candid description is unusual in Gulf politics. But naming things as they are has become a necessity. Gaza is deteriorating daily into a desperate humanitarian catastrophe, a scenario Netanyahu wants—with Trump’s approval.
If the original plan (temporary ceasefires and hostage negotiation) fails, a new scenario is forming: escalated military action and permanent annexation of previously abandoned lands. Hamas appears to be embracing this option. Khalil Al-Hayya has openly declared this, echoing statements by Hamas’s military spokesperson a week prior.
Both have chosen to blame Arab nations for betrayal, rather than confront the reality of the dire situation they and the Palestinian people are now in—a situation perfectly aligned with Netanyahu’s goals.
What’s next?
Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, considered Netanyahu’s "black box," has made repeated shuttle visits to Washington, meeting with Trump’s administration after the prisoner swap and ceasefire talks failed. This recalibrates the scene as Trump had asked: a war to eliminate Hamas and retrieve the hostages.
Reports suggest the plan involves Israeli forces invading central Gaza, where most hostages are believed to be held. This could mean forcibly retrieving hostages—dead or alive—and targeted attacks on Hamas battalions, under full American and Israeli public cover. Hamas is being painted as the sole obstacle, fully responsible for the escalation.
Hamas’s internal rhetoric has already prepared its base for this route. The leadership knows that once the hostages are retrieved, Israel will resume full military escalation to destroy what remains of Hamas’s power—militarily or through negotiations.
Hamas also has no place at the French-Saudi negotiating table unless it agrees to become a political party like any other. That would require disarming and relinquishing influence. Failing that, Hamas would be forced into Iran’s embrace, with all the costs that entails—foremost being total international isolation, especially from countries with U.S. ties.
Mediators are racing to prevent Hamas from going down this path. They know that Gaza’s people are exhausted—struggling with hunger, disease, despair, and death at every turn. Hamas’s current tactics only prolong the inevitable, making Israel pay higher military and material costs but without altering the war’s outcome.
To Hamas hardliners, disarmament equals death. Resistance is their sole source of legitimacy—even in political circles. Moderate voices within Hamas—those who favor diplomacy—are barely heard. Occasionally, leaks and signals are sent in hopes someone is still listening.
But for Israel, especially after October 7, Hamas can never be more than a marginal force—justifying Israel’s freedom of action. Most of the world, too, sees them as responsible for the region’s tragedies and unwilling to coexist.
Final Words:
When two heavyweights like France and Saudi Arabia move to lead an international diplomatic effort, it's certainly not symbolic. But Trump’s dismissal of their initiative as "politically weightless" also reflects the harsh truth:
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Israel holds veto power—government and opposition alike—with unwavering U.S. support, especially under Trump.
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On the other side, the Iranian-led axis, though it outwardly supports such diplomacy, has no interest in facilitating its success. The mere presence of Iranian proxies and weapons across the Middle East will haunt any attempt to resolve the conflict.
Disarming these militias is a prerequisite for peace—but it is also the hardest challenge.
So, can such an effort see the light amid the towering piles of political garbage Trump and Netanyahu have built?
That remains to be seen.
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