A fragile ceasefire in the Gaza Strip has now held for a month, yet the horizon for lasting peace seems to recede further every day. Though a recent hostage and prisoner return have kept the first phase of the agreement alive, the future of negotiations — which would require Israel’s withdrawal from the territory — remains in question against the backdrop of the Trump administration’s outrageous proposal to “take over” Gaza. All the while, settler violence and military raids have escalated throughout the occupied West Bank, displacing tens of thousands of Palestinians and dampening hopes for an enduring resolution of conflict.
The struggle for the future of Israel and Palestine is at a crossroads: on one path, expanded occupation and annexation, ethnic cleansing, and political violence; on the other, commitment to sovereignty, security, democracy, rights, and justice for Israelis and Palestinians alike. President Donald Trump campaigned on a “peace” slogan, but so far his administration has focused more on the depopulation and commercialization of Gaza — plans the Israeli government has embraced, while holding open the possibility of resuming fighting. Unless a critical mass of US leaders stand against this shared far-right plan and adopt a vision for a just, lasting peace, the future is bleak.
In recent years, the Israeli political scene has been defined by its far right, personified in Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and former National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. They represent a belief that Jews should occupy the entirety of “Greater Israel,” using violent force as the primary instrument to achieve it. Ben Gvir and Smotrich railed against the recent ceasefire in Gaza and have advocated for continuing the war explicitly to make the territory “uninhabitable” for Palestinians.
*
The degree to which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu supports their agenda (versus a preoccupation with his own political survival amid a serious corruption trial) is up for debate — but it’s clear he’s not ideologically opposed to it, and his government has maintained a coalition with this far right since 2022, despite strong popular opposition.
Enter: the far-right Trump administration. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has called the West Bank “the land for Jews, and the Land of Israel.” Trump’s pick for US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, has said there is “no such thing as a West Bank.” These views — shared by many Christian Zionists in Trump’s orbit — mirror those of Ben Gvir and Smotrich: a powerful religious commitment to Jewish-Israeli occupation of land, effectively from the Euphrates to the Nile. In their vision, little room exists for Palestinian rights, nor even for the safety and security of the Jewish people.
Of course, other Trump officials — like Steve Witkoff, who has taken the reins of Middle East policy — are less ideological. But, as in Israel, they’ve offered little opposition to the far-right project. While there may be hope here that those around Trump believe normalization with Saudi Arabia is enough to incentivize an enduring ceasefire in Gaza and a path to Palestinian statehood, this appears entirely dependent on Saudi conditions to recognize the state of Israel. Saudi leaders have expressed insistence on the establishment of a Palestinian state, but neither the Saudis nor any other Arab partner has yet articulated an affirmative plan for peace in the region. It’s unclear whether a Trump administration would seriously consider one if presented.
*
Meanwhile, amid a crisis of legitimacy, formal Palestinian politics have been wholly inadequate to resisting the far right. National elections last took place in 2006, meaning Palestinians under the age of 37 have never had the opportunity to vote for their political leaders. The current Israeli government has crippled the Palestinian Authority, withholding key revenue that allowed it to maintain public sector salaries and pay government contracts. PA President Mahmoud Abbas lacks popular support and has become trapped between the Israeli right and militant hardliners like Hamas.
While the immediate outlook is dark, it is not totally devoid of hope. When asked to choose between continued conflict or a regional peace deal, over 60% of Israelis and Palestinians chose the peace deal. In Israeli politics, new movements are pushing back against Netanyahu’s authoritarianism and articulating a vision for just peace. New Palestinian leaders have emerged against all odds, championing nonviolent modes of political engagement and resistance.
American political leaders at all levels have an opportunity to push back against the far-right plans by demonstrating solidarity with Israelis and Palestinians fighting for the space to build power and advance democracy. It will require committing to a vision of justice and lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians alike — and the imposition of consequences on bad actors like Smotrich and Ben Gvir who undermine such a vision. Seizing the moment will also require political courage to recognize that the path toward peace must begin with an end to occupation and repression and to stand firm in the face of forces that slander this vision as “anti-Israel” or “antisemitic.”
*
There are moments of opportunity ahead. US elected officials should speak out strongly and clearly against Netanyahu’s undemocratic rule, illegal settlement expansion, and violence, distinguishing between the right-wing government and the Israeli people. Strong statements at key moments send a signal to like-minded Israeli and Palestinian leaders that they have steadfast allies in the United States. American political leaders should be intentional about meeting and learning from these Israelis and Palestinians. And, while the current political environment may constraint their ability to do so, US lawmakers should defend and support programs that benefit democracy, including in the occupied territory.
Progress will not be immediate. It will require real reckoning with the harms of the past 16 months and beyond, and with the breakdown of trust in Israeli and Palestinian society. The work must begin now. The alternative — continuation of a policy of “conflict management,” or, worse yet, acquiescence to the far-right’s racist vision — will only lead to more violence and suffering. Israelis should not be condemned to another Oct. 7, nor Palestinians to another Gaza war. A new generation of political leadership is desperately needed.
