The saying ‘If sorrow could be seen, the world would be shrouded in black’ is often attributed to Francis Weller.
For two years, Israel has been shrouded in black. Even when many hostages were released, the shadow remained. Things got worse when one of the hundreds of IDF soldiers killed in Gaza or Lebanon since Hamas’ invasion on October 7 and Hezbollah’s subsequent attacks fell on October 8. When Iran or the Houthis launched one missile and drone after another, millions were once again forced to seek shelter. Joy was the one left behind at the tables and beds where Israelis rose to seek safety.
Now, after the release of the last twenty surviving hostages and as the ceasefire hardens, rays of light are emerging from that tortured and tested land – songs of joy are once again rising from that land.
Monday, October 13, will be a testament to the courage and endurance of the prisoners, the fearlessness of the soldiers, the determination of diplomats, the iron will of families, the help of true allies and the victory of good over evil.
TRUMP CELEBRATES PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST AFTER SIGNING GAZA DEAL: ‘ACHIEVED THE IMPOSSIBLE’
This week, leaders from across the region are meeting to plan a new future for Gaza and a framework for peace, stability and prosperity. President Donald Trump has led the breakthroughs and is now leading this next phase. But the people of the region – Jews, Muslims, Christians and nonbelievers alike – will hopefully commit themselves to life and a thriving place where babies can be born and grow old “under their own vine and under their own fig tree.”
The obstacles to this view are ideological – principles of religious fanatics. These extremists have been seriously weakened by the fighting of the past two years. Their regimes may still crumble, but the nations that share the vision of the Abraham Accords must work together to suppress the export of terror.
“It should now be clear to everyone in this region that decades of fomenting terrorism and extremism, jihadism and anti-Semitism have not worked – they have completely backfired,” President Trump told Israel’s Knesset on Monday. “From Gaza to IranThis bitter hatred has brought nothing but misery, suffering and failure.”
NETANYAHU CALLS TRUMP ISRAEL’S ‘GREATEST FRIEND’ AS LAST LIVING HOSTAGES RELEASED
The president is right, of course, and the policies of his first term – now continuing in his second – have laid the foundation for the breakthroughs that have made peace possible.
President Donald Trump speaks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ben Gurion International Airport before boarding his plane to Sharm El-Sheikh on October 13, 2025 in Tel Aviv, Israel. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
When Trump ordered the attack on Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in January 2020 – as the Iranian terror mastermind arrived in Iraq with murder in his heart – the Middle East took a decisive turn. The Abraham Accords followed months later. Diplomacy only works if it is backed by the credible threat of force.
After nearly two years in the Biden-Harris-engineered cul-de-sac that followed October 7 – where “escalation” was feared more than the liberation of hostages desired – Trump’s return to the White House on January 20, 2025 brought clarity and purpose.
TRUMP BELIEVED BY MSNBC, LIBERAL MEDIA FIGURES FOR SECURING PEACE DEAL FOR ISRAEL
The gap between Israeli and American policies was immediately closed. Trump, Netanyahu and their teams planned and executed a stunning ruse and a devastating attack on Iran’s nuclear program and ballistic missile factories. This came after Israel destroyed Hezbollah with unprecedented precision and focused, inescapable force. Shortly afterwards, Syria’s Assad regime collapsed.
The United States resumed all arms shipments to Israel and stood shoulder to shoulder with the Jewish state as it began its offensive in Gaza City.
Trump never hesitated. Israel has never stood still because of the Beltway hand-wringing or think-tank chatter.
When Trump convinced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make tough choices — to recall the last flight of bombers bound for Iran and to promise Qatar no more attacks — the partners proved to the world that they would keep their promises.
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The partnership between the president and the prime minister will go down in history as comparable to the alliance between President Reagan and Prime Minister Thatcher. It has already expanded to include Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed (“MBZ”) of the UAE and, hopefully soon, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (“MBS”) of Saudi Arabia, along with Indonesia and other Muslim-majority countries.
President Donald Trump and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan talk on Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP/Alex Brandon)
Difficult work lies ahead. The population of the half of Gaza not yet under IDF protection remains under the murderous tyranny of Hamas – terrorists who must be exterminated before there can be any lasting reconstruction.
Few believed Trump would win the 2024 presidential election. Even fewer thought he could broker a ceasefire and the release of the hostages within his first year back in power. Almost no one had confidence in Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, or expected his son-in-law Jared Kushner to come out of retirement to help push the deal across the finish line.
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It all happened. It is now history and not up for debate. President Trump did it. And if that truth upsets you, look within. That discomfort is not motivated disagreement; it is mental exhaustion.
The rest of us will remember this moment with gratitude – for the freed hostages, for Israel’s endurance and for the hope that the innocents of Gaza can finally live in peace.
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