US President Donald Trump’s high-profile meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House comes at a time when the Gaza conflict entered its 22nd month with no durable resolution in sight. Yet, the tone struck by the two leaders in Washington was surprisingly upbeat. Mr Trump’s declaration that ceasefire talks are “going along very well” may appear overly optimistic, but it also reveals a deeper strategic ambition: to project himself once again as a global dealmaker. At the heart of the proposed ceasefire deal is a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release hostages and Israel would gradually withdraw from parts of Gaza. While this framework has been floated before, what is different this time is the political momentum Mr Trump seems intent on building.

With a Nobel Peace Prize nomination handed to him by Mr Netanyahu ~ clearly symbolic, but not insignificant ~ Mr Trump is attempting to reframe his global image as a peacemaker rather than a partisan strongman. The optics of peace often........

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