A new status quo has been established with the landmark deal announced on Saturday. This agreement is a crucial intervention, designed to end the immediate war and save lives. It is a moment of profound significance, but it is not a final peace treaty. To understand the future, we must examine what this deal solves and, more importantly, what dangerous obstacles it leaves behind for another day.
What the deal solves, for now, is the active state of war. It mandates a process for releasing hostages, withdrawing troops, and establishing a new administration, creating a period of calm. This de-escalation is a monumental achievement in its own right, offering a respite from the daily toll of the conflict and opening a window, however small, for a different future.
However, the obstacles left behind are formidable. The first is the question of Hamas’s power. The Trump plan, which influences the framework, demands disarmament, but Hamas has not agreed to this. The continued presence of a heavily armed and ideologically driven Hamas, even in a non-governing capacity, would be a perpetual source of tension and a major threat to the long-term viability of any peaceful arrangement.
The largest unresolved issue is the conflict’s very core. The deal deliberately sidesteps the foundational disputes over borders, the status of Jerusalem, the right of return for refugees, and the dream of Palestinian statehood. Hamas has made it clear that these are not part of the current package and will require a unified Palestinian position for future talks. This effectively postpones the most difficult conversations, leaving the root causes of the conflict to fester.
In conclusion, the new status quo created by this deal is a fragile one. It is a necessary and welcome pause in a brutal conflict, but it is not a solution. It changes the immediate facts on the ground but fails to resolve the fundamental political questions. The world now waits to see if this temporary arrangement can become a platform for genuine peace, or if the unresolved issues will inevitably pull the region back into the abyss.
