Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide has said the ceasefire in Gaza must be a “starting point” rather than an “endpoint”. Speaking to The National in Davos where he attended the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting, he said “we know very well from experience in Gaza, in Palestine, in the Middle East and in the whole world that ceasefires are not peace … in order to make ceasefires into a peace agreement, you need to do much more work”.
He called on countries “to use that momentum to start a course that leads to something that can actually last”.
While the minister said he was “obviously very relieved that there is a ceasefire”, he stressed that “what is tragic is that this ceasefire comes only now because it’s literally the same proposal as [former US president Joe] Biden put on the table in May”. He added that “of course this whole war shouldn’t have happened but at least everything that happened after May is a little bit in vain because now we have the same proposal … same dates, same number of people and refugees and hostages and prisoners”.
The first images of the Israeli hostages being released showed Hamas fighters in uniforms and organised, which raised questions as to their current status. Mr Eide said “Hamas has been severely degraded, but they're still there, as we could see”. He also referred to “Antony Blinken, while he was still secretary of state, saying that you have killed or eliminated many fighters, but you also recruited new fighters because the hatred goes on”.
Mr Eide spoke of how “the outgoing and the incoming US administration actually joined forces” to deliver the ceasefire. He singled out the new US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff for being “very helpful in underlining that also the new president really wanted this” ceasefire. Mr Eide explained that “the fact that it was communicated so clearly from the Trump administration that he wanted this off the table before he became president, through Steve Witkoff, this is public knowledge … they've been very clear, clearly communicating that,” which helped bring the deal to a close.
However, whether the new US President Donald Trump will equally want a peace deal that establishes a two state solution is not clear. What is clear is that 75 per cent of UN member states now recognise Palestine and there is now a global alliance, led by Saudi Arabia and Norway, advocating for the two state solution. Oslo was holding the third international meeting of the global coalition to bring about a two state solution when the ceasefire was announced, which “inspired the meeting”, Mr Eide said.
“This is, in many ways, the moment we have been preparing for. That's the work of Qatar, of Egypt, of the United States, and, of course, the parties. But now starts the hard work of not only implementing the ceasefire, but also how can we take it into something meaningful … how the two state solution comes into being is not yet clear.”
While the ultimate contours of any agreement for a two state solution should be based on UN Security Council resolutions and the 1967 borders of Palestine, there is much resistance within the Israeli political class, and disarray among Palestinian leadership. “We need to move forward to something that we haven't yet seen … this is so important to say in this moment of little hope, in order to make into a big hope, we need to move in that direction,” according to Mr Eide.
On Mr Trump’s approach to a two state solution, Mr Eide expressed optimism, explaining: “I have to say that what we have seen so far, and this is really early days, but so far, has made me rather more optimistic than more pessimistic around the change of [US] president”. Mr Trump had overseen the Abraham Accords which established ties between the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco with Israel. Mr Eide said there is “a strong commitment from President Trump to complete the Abraham Accords, Saudi Arabia in particular, as you know, leading those Arab states that have not normalised and have been very clear that they want to work with Trump and Israel towards normalisation, but only with Palestine involved this time”.
He added that in his inauguration speech on Monday, “President Donald Trump was very clearly messaging desire to stop wars and to be a peacemaker … He actually wants to bring lasting peace to more than one place. One of those places is probably Ukraine, but I dare to hope that it also includes the Middle East, based on what we've heard so far.”
Espen Barth Eide optimistic about Donald Trump
There is a clear sense of “new energy” with Mr Trump’s election that Mr Eide and other diplomats seek to build upon. The ceasefire itself has also created a positive dynamic. The release of hostages and detainees “creates a sense of progress in society … this creates a positive dynamic that might supersede the more negative dynamics that led to the continuation of the fighting. But it has to be implemented”.
The ceasefire in Gaza is of major significance but so is the one in Lebanon. Mr Eide said the region is witnessing a moment of possibility, saying “there is hope, with all caveats, in Gaza and in Palestine. There is hope in Lebanon. There's hope in Syria and let all these hopes reinforce each other.”
Mr Eide visited both Lebanon and Syria before heading to Davos. He said the fact that a president and prime minister were now in place in Lebanon was promising but “it is very important that the parties to the Lebanon ceasefire, Israel and Hezbollah, doing what they promised to do”. He added “everyone should allow the Lebanese army to establish themselves in the South”, as mandated in the agreement and by UN Security Resolution 1701.
Mr Eide then went on to Syria where he met officials, including Syrian interim leader Ahmed Al Sharaa, who has a “colourful background” and is part of this “extremely complex puzzle of fighters in Syria”. He expressed his admiration for Mr Al Sharaa, saying “I have to say, I was very impressed by Al Sharaa, he came across as highly intelligent, knowledgeable and genuine and at least what I can testify is that he says the right things”. He added that ''most of what he has done is what I would think is the right things, and if he's done something not so right, he also recognises that”.
Espen Barth Eide calls for end of Syria sanctions
Mr Eide did not hide his optimism for Syria, stating “there is a new light of hope in Syria … but it's not an experienced administration, they still have to bring in a lot of other groups”. Mr Eide stressed the importance of having a “national reconciliation process or a national process of state building”.
The issue of state building is one that Mr Eide focused on, explaining: “They still have to build a state. Syria is a people, a population. It's a country. It has borders, but it's not really a state right now … So you have to build that state and then make sure that that state is established in line with international principles”.
He added that the international community must support Syria. “I think it can work. And I think that if people like me and all my colleagues just say it will not work, we might soon be right. So let's this time give it a chance, and also because it is part of this regional development.”
He stressed the importance of a Syrian-owned process: “Syria has to be fixed by Syrians. So my advice would be to other countries not to try to fix it on their behalf. That was tried in Iraq, it was, I think it's a broad consensus that was not very smart, including firing everyone who knew anything” in reference to de-Baathification in Iraq.
However, there is room to help Syria from the outside, “the first thing we should do is to look at the sanctions regime. There are many different sanctions, but those sanctions that were imposed on Syria as a country because of [former Syrian president Bashar Al Assad, I happen to think it's rather strange to keep those sanctions when Assad is gone. The whole purpose was to punish the Assad regime. It's over. It's gone”. He added that while the new authorities in Syria should be monitored and called out if they do something wrong, they should not be under sanctions now.
While Mr Eide is heavily involved in peace efforts in the Middle East, he is also of course concerned about the war in Ukraine and how it can be resolved. Mr Eide noted that the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha went to Syria “as one of the first [visitors] because he recognises the connection between the weakening of Russia and that he would like to see in his own country, of course, and what's happening in Syria, because Russia did not fare well in what happened in these changes in Syria”. He added that “most people, including most of the Ukrainians, would like peace to come”. Mr Eide said there is “ no purpose in itself to make wars last longer than necessary. So if the advent of Trump can lead to a new impulse to look for a settlement that can bring peace to Ukraine, to Europe, in principle, is welcome”.
There was a general agreement among officials in Davos of the need for a settlement in Ukraine and an end to the war the started by Russia almost three years ago. Mr Eide said that how the war ends is important as “we need to shape the postwar order, the post-Ukraine war order in Europe, in such a way that is not just a pause” of the war, adding it would be good if it came about quickly if the right conditions were met. Mr Eide said he expected change to come on several fronts. “I think we will see a difference when we meet again at the next Davos. Things will be different, in Europe and hopefully in the Middle East”.
