The Middle East's Next Chapter Depends on American Leadership
- Samer Sinijlawi
- Jun 25
- 5 min read
How the New Peace Board, Trump's Diplomacy, and the Abraham Accords Could Reshape the Region
By Samer Sinijlawi
The establishment of the new Peace Board marks an important moment for the Middle East. Following the wars in Gaza and the confrontation with Iran, regional leaders increasingly recognize that lasting stability depends on sustained American leadership. Under President Donald Trump, the United States has once again become the central diplomatic and strategic actor shaping the region's future. The Peace Board also presents an opportunity to build on the success of the Abraham Accords by creating a broader regional framework for security cooperation, economic integration, and a credible path toward Israeli-Palestinian peace.
The Middle East has learned many painful lessons over the past two years. Some were written in blood, others in diplomacy. The wars in Gaza, the confrontation with Iran, and repeated threats to international shipping demonstrated that today's Middle East is not a collection of isolated conflicts but a single interconnected strategic arena. No lasting peace—or durable regional security—can be achieved without sustained American leadership.
When Gaza burned, when regional escalation threatened to spiral out of control, and when the Strait of Hormuz became a flashpoint with global implications, it was President Trump who emerged as the decisive actor capable of mobilizing diplomacy, restoring deterrence, and bringing parties back from the brink. The most consequential efforts to restore stability ultimately depended on sustained American engagement, with President Trump playing the central role. Friend and foe alike have come to understand that without American leadership, the Middle East remains vulnerable to renewed chaos.
The Lessons of the Iran War
The ceasefires we witness today, from Gaza to the Strait of Hormuz, should not lull us into complacency. On the contrary.
The confrontation with Iran taught us an important strategic lesson. Iran does not view the region as separate arenas. It sees one battlefield stretching from Tehran to Gaza, from Iraq to Yemen, from Lebanon to the Gulf. Rather than focusing exclusively on Israel, whose defensive systems are among the world's most sophisticated, Iran and its proxies sought to threaten Gulf states, international shipping, and the global economy. The possibility of disrupting the Strait of Hormuz exposed just how interconnected our security truly is. What happens in Gaza affects Riyadh. What happens in Yemen affects Tel Aviv. What happens in the Gulf affects the entire world.
Why Regional Security Requires American Leadership
No country can face this challenge alone—not Saudi Arabia, not Israel, not the Gulf states, and certainly not the Palestinians. Nor can the region confront Iran without the United States. The logical conclusion is the creation of a regional defense alliance anchored by the United States and supported by moderate regional partners, including Saudi Arabia and Israel. The Iranian regime remains in power. Its ambitions remain intact. Given time, it will rebuild its military capabilities, strengthen its proxies, and prepare for another round of confrontation. The region cannot afford to wait until then.
The same strategic logic applies to Gaza.
Gaza Cannot Be Rebuilt While Hamas Remains Armed
The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza cannot continue indefinitely. Millions of Palestinians deserve to live in dignity rather than in temporary shelters and endless uncertainty. At the same time, Israel deserves lasting security that cannot be achieved through military operations alone.
But there is another reality that must be acknowledged honestly: Gaza cannot be rebuilt while Hamas remains an armed governing force. No serious international donor will invest billions of dollars only to see schools, hospitals, and civilian infrastructure transformed once again into military assets or destroyed in another inevitable war. Nor can Israelis be expected to accept a future in which Hamas retains the capability to launch another October 7.
For Palestinians, too, Hamas's continued rule represents a dead end. It has brought devastation to Gaza, deepened Palestinian political division, and subordinated Palestinian national aspirations to Iran's regional agenda. A better future requires not only reconstruction, but a new political and security order.
That means Hamas must be disarmed and removed from governing Gaza. This is not a punishment of Palestinians; it is a prerequisite for Palestinian recovery, Israeli security, and regional peace. Gaza's future should be entrusted to responsible Palestinian institutions working alongside regional and international partners—not to an armed movement committed to perpetual conflict.
This is why President Trump's Gaza initiative remains one of the few comprehensive frameworks capable of addressing both realities simultaneously. By combining reconstruction, regional investment, governance reform, security arrangements, the removal of Hamas's military infrastructure, and a credible political horizon, it seeks to address not only the immediate humanitarian crisis but also the structural conditions that have fueled repeated cycles of violence. Its implementation slowed as regional attention shifted to the confrontation with Iran, but the underlying challenges have only grown more urgent.
The Abraham Accords and Saudi Arabia's Historic Opportunity
The answer, once again, lies in regional arrangements.
President Trump now has a historic opportunity to connect Gaza's reconstruction with an expanded Abraham Accords framework. Saudi Arabia's eventual participation would fundamentally transform the strategic landscape of the Middle East. Normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia, coupled with a credible pathway toward Palestinian statehood beginning with Gaza's reconstruction, demilitarization, and stabilization, would reshape the conflict's trajectory. It would isolate extremists, strengthen moderates, provide Palestinians with hope, offer Israelis greater security, and create a regional architecture based on cooperation rather than perpetual confrontation.
Such an agreement should not simply end a war. It should establish the foundations of a different Middle East—one in which regional states work together to prevent extremist organizations from rearming, promote economic development, and build institutions capable of sustaining peace.
The Peace Board and a New Regional Order
The Middle East stands at a genuine crossroads. One path leads toward a coalition of moderation, regional cooperation, economic integration, and peace under strong American leadership. The other leads back to proxy wars, ideological extremism, and endless cycles of violence.
The establishment of the Peace Board demonstrates that many in the region understand this moment's significance. It reflects a growing recognition that lasting peace cannot be built through isolated bilateral agreements or temporary ceasefires alone. It requires a broader regional architecture backed by sustained American leadership, one that links regional security, the expansion of the Abraham Accords, Gaza's reconstruction, and the permanent disarmament of terrorist organizations.
The Middle East has spent decades trapped between war and false promises of peace. Today, for the first time in years, a different possibility exists: a regional order built on security, cooperation, and mutual recognition. Realizing that vision will require courageous leadership from Arabs, Israelis, Palestinians, and Americans alike. President Trump has a rare opportunity to help build that future. Whether the region seizes it will define the next generation.
Samer Sinijlawi is a Palestinian political activist and reform advocate. A lifelong Fatah member, he is the founder of New Path (Masar Jadid), a Palestinian political movement promoting democratic renewal, institutional reform, and a pragmatic path toward peace.