Jonathan Schanzer, senior vice president for research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, praised President Donald Trump’s address to the Israeli Knesset on Monday.
He told Newsmax it was a powerful and unifying moment that resonated across the Middle East.
Appearing on “National Report,” Schanzer said Trump’s speech “struck all the right notes” by honoring Israel’s resilience while outlining a vision for renewed regional cooperation. On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists murdered 1,200 people and kidnapped more than 250 people to Gaza.
“It was quite a speech today from Donald Trump,” Schanzer said. “It went on for nearly an hour, and I think he really struck all the right notes. He praised the Israelis for their fortitude throughout the war and made it very clear that they emerged victorious.”
Schanzer noted that Trump also emphasized the importance of continued diplomacy, particularly as discussions move toward a new regional framework following the ceasefire.
“He made it clear that there needed to be some compromises coming — that there would be discussions about what comes next,” Schanzer said. “He was speaking about the meetings he’s about to have in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, with leaders from the Muslim world, where they’re going to be talking about phase two of this deal — the implementation of the second phase of the ceasefire.
“That’s going to be crucial.”
The foreign policy analyst added that Trump’s remarks signaled a return to the peace-building initiatives of his first term, particularly the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab nations.
“Hopefully, we’re going to start to see more and more countries from the Middle East join on in the Abraham Accords — the normalization agreements that Donald Trump began to forge back during his first term,” Schanzer said. “He is now picking up where he left off.
“And I think the region is celebrating this without question.”
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