US President Donald Trump on Monday said the war in Gaza could be nearing a “conclusive ending” within the next two to three weeks, while reiterating that he is “not happy” over a recent Israeli strike that reportedly killed civilians, journalists, and rescue workers.“I think within the next 2-3 weeks you’re going to have a pretty good conclusive ending,” he was quoted as saying by reporters in the Oval Office, adding that “there has been… a very serious diplomatic push,” towards the cause. Trump was also asked whether he had been in touch with Netanyahu, amid a UN-backed report stating that famine had officially begun in the besieged Gaza Strip. He responded that he shares a good relationship with the Israeli prime minister and highlighted their past cooperation in targeting Iran’s nuclear programme.“Right now, they’re talking about Gaza City. They’re always talking about something,” Trump said. “At some point, it’s going to get settled… you better get it settled soon.”“With that being said, it’s got to get over with because between the hunger and all the other problems, worse than hunger, death, pure death, people being killed,” he added.Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was also present, noted that a key condition for ending the war is the removal of Hamas from power in Gaza. “It never stopped. We’ve always looked to find a solution. We want it to end. It has to end with no Hamas,” he said.
Trump’s favourite deadline
The “two weeks” is one of Trump’s signature timelines, a phrase he often uses when projecting outcomes, whether it’s policy rollouts, political developments, or now, the war in Gaza.The trademark timeline has been applied to a wide range of issues, including tax reforms, health care reforms, conspiracy claims, reopening coal mines, as well as unveiling infrastructure projects. When asked if he trusted Russian president Vladimir Putin earlier this year, Trump responded, “I’ll let you know in about two weeks.”
‘2 weeks’ for Russia and Ukraine
Trump also set a “two-week” deadline for Russia and Ukraine last week, stating that he will soon decide on whether to impose “massive sanctions” or “massive tariffs.”“In two weeks, we will know which way I’m going. Because I will go one way or the other, and I’ll learn which way I’m going. That’s whether or not it’s massive sanctions or massive tariffs or both. Or do we do nothing and say it’s your fight,” he said to reporters in the Oval Office. The “two-week” timeframe seems to be detached from any objective sense of chronology and functions as a subjective unit of time. In practice, it simply translates to “later”, though in many cases, “later” ultimately appears to be never, as cited by the New York Times.
