These first months of President Donald Trump's second term have given the world a look at his evolving policy in the Middle East. Yesterday in New York, the president himself gave insight to world leaders in a speech before the United Nations General Assembly.
The president expressed concern for the growing momentum for a two-state solution to end the conflict in Gaza. In the last several days several U.S. allies have recognized Palestine as a state.
The ongoing war between Hamas and Israel and the deepening humanitarian conflict in Gaza, as well as the decision to bomb Iran's nuclear sites in June, remind everyone daily of the critical importance and complexity of the region and the shifting approach various administrations have brought to the table.
"Making Sense of U.S. Policy in the Middle East" was the focus of a foreign policy forum at the Cleveland Council on World Affairs on Sept. 24. Brian Katulis, a senior fellow with the Middle East Institute was the keynote speaker. He joined Ideastream Public Media's daily public affairs program, the "Sound of Ideas" to talk about the topic as well.
Below is the transcript for part of the interview with Katulis. It was generated using AI and edited for clarity. You can watch the entire segment on YouTube in the player above.
Q: What's the biggest challenge right now, would you say for the Trump administration in the Middle East?
A: “I think the biggest challenge is ending this war between Israel and Hamas. It's causing devastation for the Palestinian people of Gaza. But there's also Israeli hostages who are still held by the terrorist group Hamas. And until that is resolved, until that's ended, the bigger ideas of a broader peace. If you remember, Trump had the Abraham Accords of his first administration between Israel and some Arab countries. He's not going to get to other accords or greater prosperity in the region until this war is resolved.”
Q: What’s your reaction to President Trump’s speech before the United Nations General Assembly and his call for a ceasefire in Gaza?
A: Well, I think what he said did not offer much of a pragmatic template for peace in the region. Much of his speech was actually sort of like what you hear, he says domestically, and this is the thing handed to Trump. He has more consistency to what he says at home and what he says to international audiences. He railed against immigration. He was skeptical of climate change and other things. But on the Middle East, he sent one message, which was Hamas should release these hostages. Now, the problem with ceasefire negotiations right now is that the people who were trying to mediate between Israel and Hamas, Qatar, just got bombed on September 9th by the Israeli Defense Forces. It's hard to get to a peace agreement when the people who are trying to mediate this are subject to different attacks.
Q: Several countries have said and allies of us are recognizing Palestine as a state. What is a two-state solution and why do you think that's gaining momentum now?
A: “I think it's getting momentum because the Palestinian people are back in the spotlight because of this war, because of what's going on in Gaza. And you've got several countries, especially Saudi Arabia and others, that will likely underwrite the reconstruction and the building of whatever happens in Gaza and the West Bank after all of this. They're saying we need some sort of pathway because you've got millions of Palestinians and they're not going to be forced out. As a practical matter, we need the Israeli government, which currently does not support a two-state solution. We need to hear something different from them. And I think the momentum is there because of this war, because for years people tried to sweep the Palestinian issue underneath the rug, signed peace deals without addressing this core issue. And what Saudi Arabia and others are saying essentially is you can't do that. We need a different pathway here.”
Q: Do you think that the Trump administration, in the end, is going to come to want a two-state solution or support something like that?
A: “I think they'll support something like that. If you look at the plan, the first Trump administration put out, Jared Kushner, if you remember his son-in-law in early 2020, it had the contours of what some would say could be close to a state. Now, to understand Palestinians are quite unlikely to ever have their own military, next to Israel, because I lived over there, I lived in West Bank and Gaza for about 3 or 4 years in the 1990s. And you're intermingled in so many different ways. But now there's been more of a separation between the Palestinians who live in the West Bank and Gaza and some in East Jerusalem and the Israelis. So, in essence, if you don't come up with something that's state like, you're going to have this unresolved issue where the dignity of both Israelis and Palestinians aren't recognized by the people who govern them.
Q: What is there something that Americans don't understand about what's happening in the Middle East right now? Is there one misconception?
A: “Well, I think the biggest thing that directly matters to their lives, is after 20 years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, we would like to think that we can just walk away. Every single president, over the last 25 years has had his Michael Corleone moment in the Middle East. If you remember from The Godfather, ‘Just when I thought I was out, I get pull me back in,’ and we get pulled back in for a number of reasons.
One, we'd love to believe that, you know, our gas, that we fill up at our tanks just come from America, but comes from the world, and we're not yet at the green sort of, economy. Second, because of the connections a lot of us feel, whether you're Jewish, Muslim or Christian, this is a holy land to a lot of people and to resolve, and bring peace, a lasting peace, I think, would be a noble cause that affects a lot of people around the world.”
Guests:
-Brian Katulis, Senior Fellow, Middle East Institute