The Guardian View: Trump Must Exert Real Pressure on Netanyahu as Gaza Peace Deal Collapses
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/editorial. "The Guardian view on the failed Gaza peace plan: Trump’s hollow claims are ignored in Jerusalem | Editorial | The Guardian." August 10, 2026. www.theguardian.com
The Gist
The Guardian argues that Trump's much-hyped Gaza peace deal is essentially fake, because Netanyahu has openly rejected it and Israel keeps bombing and expanding control over Gaza instead of withdrawing. The editorial says Netanyahu is stalling for political reasons—to stay in power and avoid corruption charges—and that only real pressure from Trump, not empty announcements, could actually help Gaza's suffering population.
Conclusion
For genuine relief to come to Gaza, Donald Trump must exert real pressure on Netanyahu rather than continuing to accept being manipulated by him with empty diplomatic gestures.
Premises
- Trump announced a 'monumental' US-backed Gaza deal at the end of July, but within days Israeli airstrikes killed 18 more people, showing his rhetoric diverges from reality.
- Netanyahu explicitly rejected the sequencing of the Board of Peace's 15-point plan and dismissed rumors of Israeli withdrawal, directly defying the White House.
- Israel has violated the October ceasefire agreement, killing nearly 1,300 Palestinians since then, while expanding military control to about 65% of Gaza rather than withdrawing.
- Humanitarian conditions in Gaza are dire: schools have not reopened, healthcare has been destroyed, aid is restricted, and reconstruction is blocked.
- Netanyahu's demand for complete Hamas disarmament before any Israeli move is a delaying tactic serving his political survival, given upcoming elections and pending corruption charges.
- Trump has demonstrated the power to isolate Netanyahu and compel a different approach, but has not used it, instead allowing the Board of Peace to continue reassuring Israel.
- US public sympathy for Israel is reportedly declining, suggesting political space now exists for Trump to pressure Israel without significant domestic cost.
Assumptions
- Trump possesses genuine leverage over Netanyahu and Israeli policy that, if applied, would be effective in changing Israeli behavior.
- Netanyahu's primary motivation is domestic political survival (avoiding jail, appeasing far-right coalition partners) rather than security concerns about Hamas.
- The Board of Peace and its diplomatic process are largely ineffective or complicit in allowing continued Israeli military action.
- Reducing Israeli military presence and allowing reconstruction/aid would constitute meaningful 'relief' for Gaza's population.
- Public opinion shifts in the US translate into political incentives for the Trump administration to change its approach to Israel.