I spoke to Nur Fathin Awalludin of local Malay media outlet, Berita Harian, on the signing of the Gaza ceasefire deal and its prospects.

I singled out President Trump’s Middle East Envoy, Steve Witkoff, as a key personality who took the agreement past the finish line, without discrediting Biden officials for their cooperation and legwork.

However, the deal, in conjunction with Mr Trump’s “Riviera” remarks, implies that there is no land-for-peace objective in such a deal, without forgetting that the third phase of the ceasefire agreement calls for the reconstruction of Gaza under international supervision. In other words, Mr Trump’s audacious proposal is further erasing the prospects of a two-state solution, which are already bleak to start with.

Another contradiction from Mr Trump’s comments is a reversal of his own previous words that the United States should not be conducting nation building exercises elsewhere in the world. In suggesting an American takeover of Gaza, he is also proposing American involvement in nation building itself.

I further outline the legal violation of the Trump “Riviera” proposal. Full article here and the pdf is uploaded in this post, which also published the criticism by former Singapore President, Madam Halimah Yacob, on Mr Trump’s proposed Palestinian displacement.