How President Trump can bring Israeli-Palestinian Peace in just 260 days

Let’s keep things simple.

There are just four things that need to happen for Israelis and Palestinians to bring an end to the ‘world’s most intractable conflict’ and reach what could properly be named, the “Deal of the Millennium“.

First, the Arab-Islamic world, drawing on holy scripture and lived experience, needs to recognise unequivocally that the Jewish people are a people of this region, that the biblical Land has always been and will always be our only true home, and that we have a right to live and self-determine here across this entire Land.

Second, the Jewish people, in hearing this message, need to recognise unequivocally that, having lived across this Land for over 1,400 years, the Arab people have the right of residence and self-determination across this entire Land as well. (In fact, recent research shows that many of the Arab people in the Land could in fact be of Jewish origin.)

Third, a process should be developed that takes us from the present position to the cusp of peace based on meaningful confidence-building measures that start to restore trust after many difficult decades. Very importantly, this should include facilitating grassroots-based people-to-people contact at scale. It can build on the work of numerous heroic NGOs who have been driving this effort in the face of often insurmountable difficulties.

And fourth, a political solution should be designed which allows both Jews and Arabs to live and self-determine across the entire Land at the same time, in peace and security.

Oslo is not this solution. It does not allow Jews and Arabs to live freely across the entire Land. And it manufactures its own obstacles by criminalising the authentic sentiments, hopes and dreams of Jews and Arabs alike.

The one-state approach is not this solution. It fails to grant self-determination to either Jews or Arabs in the Land. This approach was tried out in Lebanon. To say it hasn’t worked is an understatement.

Annexation is not this solution. This is the short-long path chosen by Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chanania (Eruvin 53b).

The Confederation-based approach is nearly this solution. However it needs adaptation to address the religious imperatives of Jews and Muslims. I have set out in previous blogposts how this could work.

So four things – that’s all it would take.

Some will argue that the words are easy but the actions are impossible.

Nonsense.

The Abraham Accords shows how a disruptor like Donald Trump can overcome a hundred years of failed diplomacy and groupthink, achieving what thousands of Middle East ‘experts’ said was impossible.

The Abraham Accords worked because of three factors – converging interests, reframing the narrative, and the courage of leaders.

Similarly with Israeli-Palestinian peace today, the interests are converging. While for its part, Israel’s will to survive and thrive is undiminished, and Palestinians may well say the same, both peoples are in a state of exhaustion. With the destruction of Gaza, and the collapse of the ‘Axis of Resistance’,  now is the time for a far-reaching peace that achieves justice for both peoples.

How to reframe the narrative? As I have previously blogged, we can look to the story of Joseph and Judah. A lost brother, in disguise, no longer recognised. A fallen brother redeemed, strengthened, no longer humiliated. And a complex relationship that weaves its way through Torah, Prophets and Writings. Read what scripture says about the relationship between Judah and Joseph (often through Ephraim, his son and heir) in Genesis, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Zechariah and more, and understand what it is pointing towards.

The courage of leaders? Well that is the question. It will take courage from PM Netanyahu to face down the widespread calls for annexation from across the coalition parties and to break through conventional thinking with a new proposition. He has certainly shown the singlemindedness to do so before. This would essentially repeat the choice taken by Netanyahu in 2020 to enter the Abraham Accords rather than annex the Jordan Valley. And it will take no less courage from Palestinian leadership to break with decades of rejectionism. If they decide it, it can happen.

Just four things. And they can be done in only 260 days. Here’s a sketch of how it could work.

Step One – The First Jerusalem Peace Conference – a conference in two parts: Eid ul Fitr and Passover – the 70th and 85th days of the Second Trump Administration

Participants: Heads of State and Government from the USA, Israel, Palestinian Authority, Middle East States, Others

Agenda Highlights:

Part One – Eid-ul-Fitr, Monday 1st to Tuesday 2nd April 2025

(I). A seminar presenting Jewish and Arab connections to the Land, a historical, archaeological and scriptural exposition, with additional focus on exploring the Jewish origins of the Palestinian people.

As outlined in my previous blog, rather than the Oslo formula of a ‘clean divorce’, this component will reframe Israeli-Palestinian peace in the style of a family reunion that builds on shared truth and a shared story.

(II). A historic joint declaration by Israeli and Palestinian leaders, and by Jewish, Muslim and Christian religious leadership, proclaiming the deep historical connection of each party to the Land and recognising the rights of self-determination by each ‘member of the family’ in a framework of peaceful coexistence.

This declaration recognises that legitimacy is the necessary foundation for  peace. It understands, and rectifies, the singular underlying barrier to peace – the refusal to accept the Jewish people as an indigenous people of the region with rights to self-determine in their ancestral land alongside the Arabs that have lived here for over a millennium.

(III). Distribution of Zakat-ul-Fitr: a donor conference to raise funds that will support recovery and reconstruction in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Israel, culminating in a feast to celebrate Eid.

Part Two – Passover, Sunday 13th – Tuesday 15th April 2025

(IV). Signature of a framework Non-Aggression Pact between Israel, the Palestinian Authority and all Middle East states. Signatories will include, among others, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Syria and Lebanon.

• The first focus area of the Pact will be to solidify the end of the current round of regional conflict. The key provisions will include release of remaining hostages (if a deal has not already been reached), an amnesty for militia members that lay down their arms, a release of Palestinian prisoners of war (on condition of their accepting the terms of the Pact, and excluding those guilty of the murder of civilians), a withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and Syria (and solidifying the withdrawal intended from Lebanon), and an internationally agreed reconstruction plan for all affected areas, under robust supervision arrangements.
• The second focus area of the Pact will be region-wide de-escalation. It will declare a suspension of armed struggle against Israel on all fronts, backed by a suspension of militia rearmament efforts, including a commitment from Iran and other regional powers to cease the supply of funding and weapons. It will also declare the suspension of international processes, boycotts and campaigns against Israel. For its part, Israel will make a full, staged withdrawal from Gaza and Syria, as well as Lebanon if not already complete, suspend all actions against armed militias subject to their continued compliance with the terms of the Pact, and will fully partner to surge aid and other assistance to affected Palestinian populations.
• The third focus area of the Pact will be confidence-building. The Pact will declare a series of measures which must be completed over the course of the intervening 175 days to bring about the signature of a new framework for peace, ‘the Deal of the Millennium’. The objectives of the confidence building measures will be: (i) rapid improvements to the everyday lives of Palestinians and Israelis; (ii) reform and strengthening of Palestinian governance; (iii) anti-incitement and anti-delegitimisation measures; and (iv) grassroots-led initiatives for peaceful coexistence.
• The Pact will be premised on the offer of a grand deal to Iran and its proxies, capitalising on the recent reverses which have effectively ended Iran’s quest for regional hegemony (G-d willing). The key terms of this deal will involve for Iran the full removal of sanctions, normalisation of relations, a surge in international investment, and an internationally-supervised civilian nuclear program. In return, Iran will commit to the disarmament of all its proxy militias, a commitment of non-interference in the internal affairs of other states, a full, final and definitive renunciation of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles backed by a supervised decommissioning arrangement, and recognition and normalisation with Israel within the context of this process.  

5. Symbolic enactment of the Pact through a joint Israeli-Palestinian-Arab / Jewish-Muslim-Christian delegation overseeing a Pesach sacrifice to G-d (performed according to Halakha). Reminiscent of the enactment of covenants in scripture, this will solidify the commitment by the parties to peaceful coexistence in the Holy Land through a religiously transformative gesture.

Step Two – Confidence-Building Measures

The 175-day period between Steps One and Three will involve the carrying out of the confidence-building measures agreed in the Non-Aggression Pact declared at the First Jerusalem Peace Conference.

Subject to negotiation, the focus of these measures will include:

• Rapid improvements to the everyday lives of Palestinians and Israelis: Release of additional Palestinian prisoners (again on condition of their accepting the terms of the Pact, and again excluding those guilty of the murder of civilians); return of displaced Israelis and Palestinians to their homes, wherever possible; removal of checkpoints and freedom of movement for Palestinians; a surge in work permits for Palestinians and relief for the Israeli construction and manufacturing industries; and the establishment of a globally-sourced investment fund to boost Israeli and Palestinian small- and medium-sized enterprise affected by the conflict and generate employment and livelihood opportunities.
• Strengthening of Palestinian governance, through rapid institutional reform, economic support and independent audit and oversight mechanisms; new mutually agreed technocratic leadership; resumption of full security cooperation; and design of disarmament and integration frameworks for disbanding militias.
• Anti-incitement and anti-delegitimisation measures: Rapid reform of education and media oversight bodies to promote peaceful coexistence; removal of incitement and delegitimising content from media and school textbooks; strong independent verification processes; and fast-track enforcement mechanisms.
• Grassroots-led coexistence measures: the establishment of new joint Israel/Palestinian organisations and societies to co-create implementation plans for development in the areas of business, tourism, the environment, investment, archaeology, geology, education and more; and the establishment of forums for sustained people-to-people contact, story sharing and cultural exchange.

Step Three – the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) – the 260th day of the Second Trump Administration

The Second Jerusalem Peace Conference – Thursday 9th October, 2025

After the confidence-building measures have been carried out in the intervening 175 days since the First Jerusalem Peace Conference, the Second Conference will formalise the peace and normalisation agreements between the parties, with carefully phased implementation through incremental measures that continue to build confidence at each step and mitigate security and other risks.

The peace frameworks are intended to realise the political solution I have outlined in my previous blogposts here, here and here.

This solution calls for a maximalist vision in which every party achieves the goals to which they aspire – to fulfil their hopes and dreams, aligning with the authentic national and religious sentiment of two sets of deeply religious and historically-aware peoples.

For religious Jews, one sovereign Jewish realm covering the entire biblical Land with Jerusalem as its undivided capital, and with Jews free to live, work and pray across the entire Land.

For secular Jews, a fully civil Jewish State of Israel inside the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital, fully integrated into a regional free trade area, common market and defense alliance backstopped by a United States security guarantee.

For secular Arabs, a Palestinian state inside the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital, and an established right of return for Palestinian refugees across the whole land, fully integrated into the wider Arab world.

For religious Arabs, an Arab-Islamic realm covering the historic Ottoman territories in the Levant and Arabia, incorporating the three Islamic holy places, and the entirety of Palestine.