Friedman: Trump May Deserve Two Nobels if This Works

Thomas Friedman is usually firing criticism at President Trump, but the New York Times columnist praises the president and his team for pulling off the "geopolitical bank shot" that resulted in the Israeli-Hamas peace deal. It's "an intriguing new model" of a two-state solution, "one that combines Palestinian, Arab and international stewardship over Gaza's future." Assuming it works in Gaza, it might be applied to the West Bank as well. "If the implementation of all the stages of this peace plan rebuilds a pathway for Israeli-Palestinian peace, that would be worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize. Maybe even two."

The problem is that this is only phase one, and more difficult work remains—work that will certainly last through Trump's second term. "I worry that Trump does not fully respect the complexity of the task his administration has taken on with the plan that will bear his name," writes Friedman. This is "full-scale nation building." Still, it's a first step worthy of praise, and Friedman holds out further hope that the president's success in Gaza "might actually inspire Trump to make peace in America as well." If Trump ends up being "the uniter in the Middle East and the divider in America," the Gaza deal will simply be a "footnote to a failed presidency." (Read his full column.)