Trump is being praised by Pennsylvania Democrats and leaders around the globe for his efforts to secure peace in the Middle East.
President Donald Trump declared “peace in the Middle East” after signing a landmark agreement that ended two years of devastating conflict in Gaza — a diplomatic breakthrough hailed as one of the most significant foreign policy achievements in decades. Speaking at a global summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Trump stood beside world leaders and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to announce what he called “the impossible achieved.”
The agreement marked the formal end of the Israel-Hamas war and the beginning of Trump’s ambitious 20-point peace plan. The first phase saw Hamas release the final 20 living Israeli hostages while Israel withdrew from Gaza’s frontlines and freed 250 Palestinian prisoners. The ceasefire also reopened vital humanitarian corridors, allowing food, water, and medicine to reach civilians for the first time in months. Trump described the deal as “a new beginning” and vowed that the next stage — rebuilding Gaza and expanding regional cooperation — would transform the Middle East into “a prosperous crossroads of culture and commerce.”
A number of Pennsylvania Democrats praised Trump for his peace efforts, including Sen. John Fetterman, who has received backlash from the far left for his support of Israel. Democratic Governor and potential 2028 presidential candidate Josh Shapiro said in a statement “I appreciate the president and his team for their work to reach this moment.”
Trump praised Rubio’s pivotal role in the negotiations, calling him “the greatest secretary of state in American history.” Rubio, the former Florida senator, spent nine months shuttling between Jerusalem, Doha, and Cairo to secure terms acceptable to all sides. On social media, Rubio celebrated the agreement as “a new day in the Middle East” and thanked Trump for his “bold, decisive leadership.” Florida Congressman Carlos Gimenez echoed that sentiment, describing Rubio as “a true statesman” whose appointment was “President Trump’s best cabinet decision.”
At the summit, attended by more than 20 world leaders including Egypt’s Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, the United States led the signing of The Trump Declaration for Enduring Peace and Prosperity. The declaration commits its signatories to a framework of diplomacy, mutual security, and regional stability — a clear extension of the Abraham Accords Trump first championed during his previous term.
Trump’s speech at Israel’s Knesset earlier that day drew thunderous applause from lawmakers who hailed him as “Israel’s greatest friend.” Praising Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “courage” in agreeing to the ceasefire, Trump said he told Netanyahu that his legacy would be better served by agreeing to this long-term peace plan rather than “if you kept this thing going, going, going, kill, kill, kill.”
The deal has also drawn international acclaim. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called Trump “a man of peace” and announced Pakistan’s intent to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize. Egypt’s President el-Sisi awarded Trump the Order of the Nile — the country’s highest honor — in recognition of his efforts to end the conflict.
While challenges remain over Hamas’s disarmament and Gaza’s long-term governance, Trump and Rubio project confidence that the ceasefire will hold. “We have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to put old hatreds behind us,” Trump told reporters before departing the summit. “This is just the beginning of a new era — one built on strength, trust, and peace through prosperity.”
