A significant blueprint for peace was signed on Saturday, marking a crucial first step in building a bridge away from the current conflict. While this agreement is a monumental feat of diplomatic engineering, it is essential to understand that the bridge to a lasting peace is still very much under construction, with several critical sections missing.
The first phase of construction involves laying the immediate foundation: implementation. This process requires the careful and coordinated assembly of several key components, including the release of hostages, the withdrawal of troops, and the formation of a new government. This is the most delicate phase, where a single miscalculation could compromise the integrity of the entire structure before it’s even complete.
A major missing component in the blueprint is a plan for the disarmament of Hamas. A sturdy and reliable bridge to peace cannot be built if one side remains heavily armed. The continued military capacity of Hamas represents a fundamental design flaw, creating a permanent source of instability that threatens to collapse any political structure built upon it. As of now, Hamas has not agreed to add this crucial element to the plan.
The most significant missing section is the final span that connects to the other side—a resolution of the core issues. The current blueprint deliberately stops short of addressing the “final status” questions of borders, Jerusalem, refugees, and statehood. Hamas has confirmed that the design for this final, most difficult section will be subject to future, likely contentious, negotiations.
Therefore, the signed deal is an essential and life-saving start to a monumental project. It provides the initial pylons and a temporary walkway to get people out of immediate danger. But it is not a finished bridge. Completing the structure will require adding the missing sections of security and political resolution, a construction task of generational difficulty.