Echoes of Beirut: Why Israel Must Be Allowed to Win

It was the summer of 1982. Israeli forces had surrounded Beirut, trapping the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and its leader Yasser Arafat in the city. The situation looked hopeless for the PLO.

Then American mediation stepped in. An agreement was reached that gave the terrorists, including Arafat himself, safe passage out of Lebanon. They were relocated to Tunisia and other Arab countries under international protection.

More than forty years later, those events feel painfully familiar. The same pattern is playing out today in Gaza, and it is heartbreaking to watch history repeat itself.

Back in 1982, the PLO suffered a clear military defeat. They were forced to abandon the battlefield. Yet what should have been the end turned into a massive strategic victory for them. The American-brokered deal created the first direct contacts between Washington and the PLO. It amounted to de facto recognition, which paved the way for formal ties. By the late 1980s, President Ronald Reagan issued a waiver allowing official contact with the organisation. This led to the Madrid Conference in 1991 and eventually the Oslo Accords in 1993, where the PLO gained enormous legitimacy.

Hamas is banking on exactly the same playbook right now.

The Trump administration has already engaged directly with Hamas leaders. During ceasefire talks in Sharm el-Sheikh in October 2025, President Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met face-to-face with senior Hamas figures, including Khalil al-Hayya, to finalise the hostage release and ceasefire deal.

This mirrors Beirut almost exactly. Turkey and Qatar, who host and support Hamas, pushed for that direct American involvement, just as mediators did in 1982.

The current situation with a few hundred Hamas fighters reportedly trapped in Rafah tunnels is following the same script. They could surrender and face justice or relocation. Instead, there is intense pressure on Israel to let them walk away freely, perhaps even keeping their weapons. Additional direct talks between American envoys and Hamas representatives are already being discussed to resolve this "impasse".

President Trump has even provided strong security guarantees to Qatar, where much of Hamas leadership resides. After an Israeli strike on Doha in September 2025, he issued an executive order pledging US protection for Qatar's territorial integrity, including potential military action if needed. These assurances go further than what Reagan offered Arafat, effectively shielding Hamas leaders in a way that did not exist back then.

I have enormous respect for the Trump administration's bold deal-making. Their approach has delivered real results elsewhere, such as the outstanding peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan in August 2025, brokered personally by President Trump at the White House. That deal ended decades of conflict and opened new trade routes, a true success story reported widely around the world.

The unbreakable friendship between the United States and Israel has never been stronger under this administration. President Trump has shown time and again that he stands firmly with Israel.

But this pattern of never letting Israel fully win is deeply troubling. Palestinian terrorists start wars, hide behind civilians, and when they are finally cornered, the world steps in to save them. They are allowed to claim a draw, regroup, rearm, and do it all over again a few years later. It postpones the inevitable and guarantees more suffering on both sides.

Israel deserves the chance to achieve decisive victory and real, lasting peace. Anything less just invites the next round of heartbreak. We cannot keep repeating Beirut. This time must be different.