The Anatomy of Peace: Inside the Gaza Accord and Trump’s Middle East Strategy
For the first time in living memory, the guns have gone quiet in Gaza. Hostages held for over two years have just walked free. And for perhaps the first time in millennia, descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob have signed what may resemble more than a mere ceasefire.
Before proceeding, one must grasp how significant—and how difficult—this moment is. This is not like any conflict in recent history.
1. A Conflict Rooted in Deep Time, Not Just the 20th Century
The conflict did not begin in 1948, or with the British Mandate, or even upon Israel’s founding. Its deepest roots are in the ancient contest for the land of Canaan, where Israel and the Philistines battled over Gaza.
Gaza is recorded in the Bible as one of the five cities of the Philistines. holylandsite+2GotQuestions.org+2
Samson—a legendary Israelite judge—was betrayed, captured, blinded, and paraded through Gaza. In one of his final acts, he destroyed the temple of the Philistines, falling as many lives fell with him. Biblical Theology+6UChicago Divinity School+6GotQuestions.org+6
Gaza has witnessed successive conquerors: Egyptians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Ottomans, the British, and more. Yet the rivalry between “the children of Israel” and “those who dwell by the sea” has endured across ages.
2. Distinguishing “Philistines” from “Palestinians”
The ancient Philistines were not Semitic; they were a distinct people who settled largely along the coastal lands of Canaan. They had separate identity, religion, and society.
The modern Palestinian identity emerged much later—shaped by Arab, Islamic, and regional historical developments—and is not a direct continuation of the Philistine lineage.
However, there is a linguistic echo: both “Philistine” and “Palestine” derive from roots that imply "people dwelling along the coast."
3. The Power of Names: “Hamas” in Hebrew and Arabic
In Arabic, Hamas is an acronym: Ḥarakat al-Muqāwama al-Islāmiyya (Islamic Resistance Movement).
In Hebrew, however, the word hamas (חָמַס) means violence, wrong, or corruption.
In Genesis 6:11, the earth is “filled with hamas”—violence, corruption, and wickedness—and that is the Biblical language used to justify the Flood (Noah’s Ark). Thus, to Israeli ears, “Hamas” evokes a deep moral resonance—not merely a political adversary.
4. The Long, Failed Quest for Peace
For 75 years, successive efforts attempted to bring peace between these ancient adversaries.
In recent memory:
• Camp David Accords (1978)
• Oslo Accords (1993)
• Numerous roadmaps, summits, UN resolutions—all declared historic, all failed.The problem was not lack of diplomatic skill, but that many in the Arab world did not fully accept Israel's right to exist. Political approaches alone were insufficient.
5. The Trump Approach: Business, Leverage, and Disruption
Donald Trump did not approach Middle East peace as an academic or seasoned diplomat. He viewed the existing approach as stale and ineffective.
He treated the region as a business problem: talk to all players, find out what they actually want—stability and prosperity—and reshape incentives.
Key actions:
Recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital (despite warnings of turmoil).
Moved the U.S. embassy there.
Withdrew the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal.
Declared that America would unapologetically defend the only democracy in the Middle East.
He also brokered the Abraham Accords, which, in your telling, represent a realignment—not driven by ideology, but by shared self-interest and common fear of Iran.
In your narrative, Trump gained regional credibility by asserting leverage over Israel: e.g. pressuring Netanyahu to apologize to Qatar, thereby showing he was not merely Israel’s “puppet.”
Once parties were at the table—including Hamas—the deal you depict was forced: Trump insisted Israel accept a deal Netanyahu wanted to reject, and the Arab states guaranteed Hamas’s participation and the peace.
6. A Moment of Hope — Or a Precarious Peace
For the first time in 4,000 years, you write, the blood-soaked sands of Gaza whisper something long forgotten: hope.
Even one year of peace would mark triumph: centuries of hatred overtaken by something stronger.
The children of Abraham—Jew and Arab alike—choose life over death, mercy over rage.
But should the rockets return, the lies reignite, this moment will become merely another tombstone in the desert of broken promises.
You invoke Scripture:
• “Blessed are the peacemakers.”
• “The Lord hates hands that shed innocent blood.”You stress that peace is not merely absence of war, but presence of righteousness (true moral clarity).
Reconstruction, you claim, will come from Middle Eastern money, not U.S. taxpayers.
At root, you argue, men have not become virtuous overnight—but perhaps they have chosen life over death, mercy over rage.
7. The Stakes: Truth, Innocence, and Courage
In your view, holding this deal means defending the innocent, calling evil by its name, and standing with truth even when costly.
The task now is rebuilding, trusting that this rare peace is not just a lull but a turning point.
References
“Samson in Gaza.” University of Chicago Divinity School, 25 Jan. 2024, divinity.uchicago.edu/sightings/articles/samson-gaza.
“Gaza in the Bible.” Avi Hoffman, Times of Israel, blogs.timesofisrael.com/gaza-in-the-bible.
The Abraham Accords. U.S. Department of State, state.gov/the-abraham-accords/.
“Abraham Accords.” Britannica, britannica.com/topic/Abraham-Accords.
“Assessing the Abraham Accords, Three Years On.” Arab Center DC, arabcenterdc.org/resource/assessing-the-abraham-accords-three-years-on/.
“Israel–United Arab Emirates Normalization Agreement.” Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel–United_Arab_Emirates_normalization_agreement.
Roskoski, John. Samson and the Gazite Harlot: The Significance of Judges 16:1-3. BiblicalTheology.com, pdf.
“What Is the Significance of Gaza in the Bible?” GotQuestions, gotquestions.org/Gaza-in-the-Bible.html.
