The phrase “shotgun wedding” originates from the figurative image of the pregnant bride’s relatives threatening a reluctant groom with a shotgun to ensure he marries her. The Trump deal came to halt Israel just as Hamas was on the verge of being completely decimated - right when Israel was about to achieve victory in Gaza City. Trump’s Gaza “peace” deal, and the peculiar ceremony hosted by Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Sinai, can best be described as a shotgun wedding: forcing Israel and Hamas, our figurative bride and groom, into tying the knot.
Everyone knows that Trump imposed his agreement upon Israel, and that he had Turkey and Qatar pressure Hamas into playing along. Only the wedding ceremony in Sharm el-Sheikh was unique in one respect - both the bride and groom were absent. At this bizarre, lavish “peace” signing ceremony, everyone except Israel and Hamas was present. Trump served as the officiating minister or rabbi, joined by representatives from countries including Pakistan, Egypt, Iraq, France, Germany, Qatar, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and more.
Trump and al-Sisi apparently realized how absurd their wedding ceremony would look without Israel present and tried, at the last minute - only hours before the event - to invite Netanyahu, the groom. He had the good sense not to attend.
The Vows and the Witnesses
What “nuptial vows” did the guests sign? What agreements did they make to force Israel to stop its war of survival against the modern-day Nazis of Hamas?
To understand the depth of the hypocrisy and hatred, consider this: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan - the primary shadchan (matchmaker) - declared that he would refuse to land or disembark if Bibi were in attendance. Iran was actually invited. These were the so-called neutral “watchmen” at the gate, ensuring that both Israel and Hamas keep to the deal. In truth, they signed a memorandum committing themselves to enforcing a ceasefire - effectively agreeing to stop Israel, this right after the hostages returned.
At Jewish weddings, there are two witnesses obligated to observe the ceremony and sign the ketubah. According to the Talmud, the ketubah was instituted by Shimon ben Shatach so that divorce would not be taken lightly. That, in essence, was what this ceremony was about - gathering hostile anti-Israel forces to sign a pact ensuring that Israel, the “groom,” remain bound to the agreement, preventing it from defending itself against Hamas.
Hamas Violates the Deal
Hamas is already violating the agreement and playing games. They are still holding on to most of the bodies of the dead hostages, and some Israeli reports believe Hamas may still be holding one live hostage. Hamas has declared they will never disarm. They are already seizing control of areas vacated by Israel, systematically eliminating rival militias, and consolidating power.
Trump - the figurative rabbi or minister officiating at this unholy wedding - seems unfazed by Hamas “temporarily” holding on to its weapons. In contradiction to his own “prenuptial agreement,” the 21-Point Trump Plan, which requires Hamas to disarm, he sang a very different tune: that Hamas needs to “fight crime and make sure everything is safe.” He concluded, “I think it will be okay.” If it’s “okay” for Hamas to kill anyone who opposes them, then soon there will be no one left to replace them - not that the other militias could be trusted anyway. But then Trump stated: "They will disarm. And if they don't disarm, we will disarm them - and it'll happen quickly and, perhaps, violently, but they will disarm." So who knows?
Sinai’s Shadow
This fake peace summit took place in Sinai on the very day Israeli media revealed satellite photos showing a vast underground tunnel network there - believed to be part of a massive military infrastructure for storing missiles and launchers. The surprise attacks by Egypt in the Yom Kippur War of October 1973, and by Hamas on October 7, 2023, on Simchat Torah, pale in comparison to what Egypt may be planning next. Egypt continues pouring thousands of troops into the Sinai Peninsula in flagrant violation of its so-called peace accord with Israel.
Unity of the Wicked
The Talmud in Sanhedrin teaches that when the wicked unite, it brings harm to them and to the world. Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Pakistan, and the other “witnesses” at this wedding did not come to enjoy a kosher smorgasbord of pastrami sandwiches or to plot love and peace with the Jewish state. Trump's intentions are noble, but he is blinded by the lucrative deals offered by Qatar and Saudi Arabia - and, like most Westerners, he cannot fathom the depth of hatred and fanaticism embedded in much of the Muslim world.
Bibi’s Hesitation and Trump’s Ultimatum
To be fair, Trump apparently gave Bibi the green light for months before announcing his 21-point peace plan. He waited for Israel to pulverize Hamas, even saying that he would have given Hamas 48 hours to release the hostages or “let all hell break loose.” But Bibi hesitated fearing for the hostages' lives, never allowing the IDF to fully unleash the gates of hell on Gaza, although the plan to destroy Gaza City, Hamas' last stronghold, street by street, was being implemented. Trump, however, had had “enough,” as he put it, and pulled the plug on the slow-paced war, forcing Hamas to free the hostages, but also imposing this shotgun wedding.
Netanyahu will probably wait to initiate a “divorce” because Hamas likely will violate the agreement. Let’s hope so - because Israel must break free from the shackles that prevent it from defending itself. Israel cannot rely on the supposed neutrality of Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar - the “bridesmaids” and “groomsmen” who attended this unholy wedding in Sinai. And Trump will not be around forever. Let us hope that Hamas, through its inevitable provocations, invites its own destruction.
Yekutiel (Mike) Guzovsky is an activist who made aliya from the US in 1982 and lives in Kfar Tapuach in Samaria.