Anyone who reads Listen Up, even sporadically, will know that I am not a fan of United States President Donald Trump. That has not changed. However, I am also a strong believer in giving credit where credit is due, regardless of political lines, and Donald Trump’s pivotal role in brokering a ceasefire and a road to a potential lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians cannot be ignored.
To be sure, it is just the very beginning of a 20-point strategy, leading to hopefully peace in the Middle East, much of which has not yet been agreed to by Hamas or many Palestinians. But it is a start to end this two-year war and to work toward a more lasting peace in the Middle East.
At this moment, fighting has ceased between Israel and Hamas, hostages, both alive and dead, are being repatriated, and a massive ramp-up of delivering critically needed humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip has begun. Israeli troops will move back to an agreed-upon line in the Gaza Strip, and they will release 2000 Palestinian prisoners.
Two former US secretaries of state, Hilary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice, have given Donald Trump credit for brokering a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. There is no friendship between Trump and Hilary Clinton. Indeed, Trump would like to find a way to put her in jail. Yet this is what Hilary Clinton has said:
“I really commend President Trump and his administration, as well as Arab leaders in the region, for the commitment to a 20-point plan and seeing a path forward for what is often called the day after. Most importantly, the conflict, hopefully, will end with the cease-fire.”
Donald Trump, a man known more for disruption than détente, deserves credit for successfully facilitating the first stage of an agreement between Hamas and Israel.
There is a long way to go, with many bumps in the road before the Trump administration’s 20-point plan can be fully implemented. Hamas has already clearly stated they would not accept foreign guardianship of the Gaza Strip as contemplated in the peace plan.
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, has described the cease-fire agreement as a first step toward hope, describing it as a necessary step that brings an atmosphere of trust and hope to the people of the region. But he has also been reported to say that Palestinians must become more fully involved in the peace-making process and that it would take two generations before there could be real peace in the Middle East between Arabs and Jews.
It is important, too, to remember who started this war. It was not the Israelis. It was Hamas. We must never forget that. It is Hamas that must take primary responsibility for what followed.
But the time is well overdue to find a way forward to bring real and lasting peace to the Middle East. By supporting the peace accord, a number of Arab leaders have bought into that belief. That Donald Trump played a key role in finally getting that process underway should not be forgotten.
One of Donald Trump’s major ambitions is to be seen worldwide as a peacemaker. He lobbied unsuccessfully to be awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. He already believes that peace is a substantive part of his brand.
But it is hard to accomplish a legacy of peace when you are at odds with that concept in so many other ways. Threatening the sovereignty of both Canada and Greenland does not speak of peace. Shooting at ships in international waters does not speak of peace. Being wishy-washy in defence of Ukraine does not speak of peace. Crippling tariffs on other countries, including Canada, do little to foster a peaceful relationship. Nor does revenge politics, or turning troops toward their own citizens, speak of peace. Changing the Department of Defense to the Department of War, perhaps unintentionally, also sends a signal that the United States is more interested in war than in peace.
However, the peace accord in the Middle East offers Donald Trump a rare chance to define his legacy as a peacemaker. But that legacy will depend on whether he can pivot the politics of aggression, vengeance and threats, at home and abroad, to one of restraint and reconciliation. History has rarely allowed one to be both a Despot and a Peacemaker.
For Donald Trump to earn his place in history as a peacemaker, he must resist his tendency to govern like a prize fighter. As one pundit said, you can’t keep swinging and expect to be remembered for shaking hands.
Hopefully, the cease fire between Israel and Hamas and the hope for a lasting peace in the Middle East will inspire not only Donald Trump, but also many others internationally to not only embrace peace but also to mute the anger, vandalism, antisemitism and pure hate that has increasingly made its way around the world since the beginning of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
There is too much anger and hate in this world, and it is changing who we are. You can see it almost everywhere. Even in our Town of Huntsville, it has raised its ugly head very recently as a visiting member of the Ontario Legislature and his family were verbally assaulted by two individuals, shouting hateful and racist remarks at them. To my knowledge, and to their credit, two of the three elected leaders in this community have published unequivocal apologies for this unacceptable behaviour.
The bottom line here is that with his accomplishment in the Middle East, Donald Trump has a unique opportunity to reverse course in the manner he approaches governance, still achieving meaningful and fair objectives, but in a way that radiates peaceful intent and a platform of non-violence and respect for all people.
That would be a legacy to be proud of. Only God knows if Donald Trump can achieve it.
Hugh Mackenzie
Hugh Mackenzie has held elected office as a trustee on the Muskoka Board of Education, a Huntsville councillor, a District councillor, and mayor of Huntsville. He has also served as chairman of the District of Muskoka and as chief of staff to former premier of Ontario, Frank Miller.
Hugh has also served on a number of provincial, federal and local boards, including chair of the Ontario Health Disciplines Board, vice-chair of the Ontario Family Health Network, vice-chair of the Ontario Election Finance Commission, and board member of Roy Thomson Hall, the National Theatre School of Canada, and the Anglican Church of Canada. Locally, he has served as president of the Huntsville Rotary Club, chair of Huntsville District Memorial Hospital, chair of the Huntsville Hospital Foundation, president of Huntsville Festival of the Arts, and board member of Community Living Huntsville.
In business, Hugh Mackenzie has a background in radio and newspaper publishing. He was also a founding partner and CEO of Enterprise Canada, a national public affairs and strategic communications firm established in 1986.
Currently, Hugh is president of C3 Digital Media Inc., the parent company of Doppler Online, and he enjoys writing commentary for Huntsville Doppler.
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