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Trump, the Nobel Committee, and the Myth of Middle East Peace

by Ram ben Ze’ev



Trump, the Nobel Committee, and the Myth of Middle East Peace
Trump, the Nobel Committee, and the Myth of Middle East Peace

The Nobel Committee has announced its choice for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize and—surprise to some, though not to me—it isn’t President Donald Trump. Frankly, this should shock no one.


The Nobel Prize for Peace is, at least in theory, awarded for lasting contributions toward peace. It is not intended for short bursts of diplomatic theatre for headlines or deals whose longevity is measured in months rather than generations. President Trump’s efforts in Gaza and across the wider Middle East, including the Abraham Accords, were hailed by many as historic. But to call them a foundation for lasting peace is to ignore history and indulge in political fantasy.


Anyone with even a modest memory of recent decades should recognise the pattern.


President Clinton tried. President Carter tried. Countless world leaders have attempted to broker peace between Israel and its neighbours. And yet, each of these efforts has ultimately run aground on the same rock: the fundamental error of applying Western moral, societal, and religious frameworks to a conflict that predates all of them.


This struggle did not begin in Oslo or Washington—it began in the tent of Yitzhak and Rivkah, with Esav and Yaakov. It is ancient, spiritual, and generational. The Arab terrorist factions—whether they agree to temporary ceasefires, release hostages and bodies, or offer platitudes to other Arab governments—are not on the verge of transformation. They are regrouping.


Anyone who mistakes a tactical pause for genuine reconciliation is deluding themselves.



As for the Nobel Committee’s choice, President Trump should perhaps count himself fortunate not to have been selected. The Committee, after all, saw fit to award the Peace Prize to Barack Hussein Obama—before he had achieved anything remotely resembling peace. His record on fostering stability in the Middle East speaks for itself.


In truth, the Nobel Prize long ago ceased to be a reliable indicator of meaningful peace. It has become a political symbol—one often divorced from reality on the ground. And reality in the Middle East remains what it has always been: volatile, deeply rooted in history, and utterly resistant to Western wishful thinking.



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