President Donald Trump basked in the glory of his own achievement in the Middle East on Monday, perhaps cognisant of the fact that he may never have a better day in office. Greeted with a hero’s welcome by Israelis across the board, he told members of the Knesset that “against all odds, we have done the impossible and brought our hostages home ”. He also laid out his stall for a future in the Middle East that is both peaceful and prosperous. “It is more obvious than ever”, he told Israeli lawmakers : “The productive and responsible nations of this region should not be enemies or adversaries. You should be partners, and eventually even friends.”

Achieving that goal will take even more effort than the hard diplomatic graft that led to Monday’s seismic events in both Israel and Gaza.

See Full Page