Why is Trump pressuring Israel to end its war on Gaza?

 Ali Abunimah Power Suits 15 January 2025

As of Wednesday morning in Palestine, hopes remained high that a deal to end the Israeli genocide in Gaza and free Palestinian and Israeli captives was imminent.

Negotiators in Doha were reportedly ironing out the final details on an agreement that would bring a reprieve to a population that has endured more than 15 months of relentless Israeli bombing and starvation amid unspeakable atrocities, killing at least tens of thousands and upending the lives of millions.

If agreed and implemented, the deal will also represent a major strategic defeat for Israel.

The outlines of the deal – as reported in the media – are for a three-phase process based on the framework laid out by US President Joe Biden in May and accepted by Hamas.

It would see an immediate ceasefire, a massive inflow of humanitarian aid and a staged Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, accompanied by prisoner exchanges over the course of multiple weeks.

A key question I discussed with journalist Rania Khalek on her BreakThrough News program Dispatches on Tuesday is why the same deal that went nowhere last year is now apparently on the brink of being sealed.

In a wide-ranging discussion we also talked about the downfall of Syria’s government, the future of the Axis of Resistance and much more. You can watch the whole discussion in the video above.

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