NewsNation National Correspondent Robert Sherman has found himself on the frontlines of some of the world’s biggest stories: from Ukraine to Israel and across the United States. He shares what he’s seeing on the ground. Subscribe to his newsletter: Frontlines with Robert Sherman here.
The sun has risen in the Middle East, and it truly feels like the new dawn has brought with it a new world.
Life is returning to normal in Tel Aviv. Families are heading to the beaches, cafes are bustling and restaurant lunch services are filling up.
Indeed, a far cry from where we were yesterday morning when much of the nation was in a bomb shelter riding out the last of Iran’s missile barrages.
The President is now in the Netherlands touting a foreign policy victory as he attempts to continue his work with NATO and bolstering contributions to collective defense.
According to these text messages from Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte, confirmed as real and genuine by both NATO and the White House, it might be a green light.
But the big foreign policy focus is still on the Middle East. This ceasefire has held for now just over 24 hours. It’s amazing how many gazes in that span of time have shifted from the imminent crisis in the present to the future looming beyond the horizon.
Gaza
It took little to no time for the conversation here to revert back to Gaza. In fact, the Prime Minister made mention of this during his address to the nation Tuesday night.
“We must complete the campaign against the Iranian axis, defeat Hamas, and bring about the release of all our hostages the living and the fallen,” Prime Minister Netanyahu said. “And to the families of the hostages I say: we have not stopped for a moment — not even for a moment — our efforts to bring all our hostages home, both the living and the fallen.”
The ceasefire arrangement with Iran has led to dissatisfaction amongst some. That includes the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which put out a statement that reads: “The ceasefire agreement with Iran must be expanded to include Gaza as well. Relatives of the hostages called to take advantage of the end of the campaign in Iran to advance a deal for the release of their loved ones who are being held in the Strip.”
Those talks are stoked this morning with the news that seven IDF troops were killed in southern Gaza Tuesday after their armored vehicle was hit by an explosive device.
Qatar says it wants talks on Gaza to begin this week. You will quickly see Iran fade into the past (***uming there are no breaks in the ceasefire) and the international community zero in fully on the situation in the South.
The Proliferation of Peace
And then, there’s the ultimate objective: That this ceasefire with Iran becomes sustainable. That peace becomes contagious.
I remember very vividly being in Kiryat Shmona to the north last year when a local official told me of his dream to build a train station. The train would run from northern Israel to Damascus, Syria, and Beirut, Lebanon. Once completed, he wanted to take his whole family for lunch in those cities, eat hummus with the locals, then come home.
Despite the tension, that is the dream of many Israelis: A world in which their sovereignty is normalized in the region.
The Prime Minister spoke of this as well.
“With the elimination of Iran’s axis of evil, we will open a path of peace and prosperity for the nations of the region — and I say to you, even beyond the nations of the region,” Netanyahu said. “We are already working vigorously on this, and the time will come to reveal our actions.”
Is this possible? Is this fantasy? Is an Abraham Accords 2.0 feasible? One that includes Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia or Qatar?
Watch part of my interview here with Dr. Qanta Ahmed, senior fellow for the Independent Women’s Forum and author of “Land of Invisible Women.” She makes the case for widespread normalization for Israel in the wake of this war with Iran.
The bottom line is this: If you thought a lot happened in the last two weeks, be prepared for the world to move even more swiftly in the coming days.
Thanks to all of you who have written in the last few days. Your words mean so much. You can continue following along on X, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok for all my updates. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I value your support.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of NewsNation.
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