America’s shuttle diplomacy to wind down the war in Gaza

Massacre, rape, war, hunger, disease, regional escalation, disruption of global trade: the Middle East is living through apocalyptic times. But after death and hell, might peace come? To hear American officials talk about the four-month war between Israel and Hamas, and its reverberations that claimed the lives of three American soldiers in Jordan on January 28th, there is a modest but growing chance of turning catastrophe into opportunity. President Joe Biden’s administration is working hard to bring it about, with senior figures shuttling between Washington, European and Middle Eastern capitals.

Their immediate aim is to secure a long humanitarian pause in the fighting, lasting a month or two, that allows for the exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. A parallel and more ambitious objective is to turn that pause into a permanent ceasefire and secure a regional peace deal. This package would comprise Israel’s acceptance of a Palestinian state, Saudi Arabia’s recognition of Israel, Palestinian reform and American measures to sweeten the deal.