Donald Trump approached the small crowd, smiling and self-assured. “It’s looking like we have a deal on Gaza… I think it’s a deal that will get the hostages back. It’s gonna be a deal that will end the war. It’s gonna be peace,” he said, somewhat cryptically, on Friday, September 26, as he left the White House to attend the Ryder Cup golf tournament.

Three days before hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the president of the United States acted as if the belligerent remarks made by his staunch ally at the United Nations (UN) podium – calling to “finish the job” in Gaza – could be disregarded. Yet, he seemed convinced that he could succeed where everyone else had failed by forcing the Israeli leader to stop the military offensive in the Palestinian enclave and accept a final “deal.”

Though a steadfast ally of Israel, Trump may have been receptive to arguments from representatives of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Turkey and France urging him to take a tougher stance toward the Israeli prime minister. Intense diplomatic efforts unfolded in recent days alongside the UN General Assembly, held in New York from September 22 to 26.

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