File Photo: Former prime minister Ehud Olmert. AFP
In an article published by The Independent, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who led Israel from 2006 to 2009 and spearheaded its war on Lebanon, emphasised that the agreement, ratified by the Knesset and signed in Egypt, was “a ceasefire, not a peace accord.”
Olmert, a former member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party, served as Israel’s premier from 2006 to 2009 and led a bloody war against Lebanon during his first year in office.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and US President Donald Trump co-chaired the historic Gaza Peace Summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, which brought together more than 20 world leaders.
Held on Monday of that week, the summit witnessed the signing of a historic document to end the Gaza war and was attended by over 30 heads of state and government representatives.
The summit concluded with the signing of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, aimed at ending the two-year-old Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip and strengthening efforts to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East.
Olmert stressed that “there is no alternative to a peaceful resolution based on mutual recognition and the creation of two states,” warning that the continued absence of progress toward such a framework would only fuel further cycles of violence.
He outlined his “vision of peace” as one that establishes "a demilitarised" Palestinian state alongside Israel, based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. The Old City, he proposed, should remain outside the sovereignty of either side.
In May, Olmert wrote in an opinion piece for the left-leaning Haaretz newspaper that Israel, particularly what he called “Netanyahu’s criminal gang,” was committing war crimes in Gaza.
In his article, Olmert stressed that Israel’s approach, marked by disproportionate force and disregard for civilian lives, had undermined its claims to the “moral high ground.”
“It is undeniable that Israel has been committing acts that could be classified as war crimes,” he said. “Never since its establishment has the State of Israel waged such a war… The criminal gang headed by Benjamin Netanyahu has set a precedent without equal in Israel’s history in this area, too,” Olmert added.
He described Israel’s war on Gaza as “a war of devastation, indiscriminate, limitless, cruel, and criminal killing of civilians. It is the result of government policy, knowingly, maliciously, and irresponsibly dictated.”
In his Independent op-ed, Olmert argued that the current arrangement, a temporary truce, a partial Israeli withdrawal, and “limited Hamas activity”, could serve as “the first step toward a bold political move that reshapes the Middle East.”
He urged Israel and the Palestinians to seize what he described as a rare opportunity for peace following the Gaza ceasefire agreement, warning that failure to revive the two-state solution would inevitably lead to renewed conflict.
Olmert noted that the Israeli government had agreed to abandon the hardline positions represented by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Hamas was not completely eliminated, but it suffered a very severe blow,” the former Israeli premier said.
“Gaza lies in ruins,” he wrote. “Tens of thousands of civilians, more than 67,000, who were not combatants, died during the brutal Israeli military campaign that followed the October 7 attack.”
Olmert warned that both societies remain captive to “unrealistic visions,” with some Israelis still dreaming of annexing Palestinian territories and some Palestinians hoping to restore Hamas’ military power.
“Only decisive international leadership,” Olmert concluded, “and particularly Trump’s commitment to the principle of two states for two peoples, can prevent both nations from being dragged back into another cycle of destruction.”
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