Two weeks after America’s unprecedented military strikes into Iran, the situation in the Middle East has stabilized and focus is turning to diplomacy.

So, what’s on the global agenda? Over the coming weeks, I’d concentrate on a few areas.

Prime Minister Netanyahu visits Washington early this week, and his top aides have been in town for days preparing. Top of mind is Gaza, where a ceasefire could be closer than it’s been in months.

The situation in Gaza is horrific. This is a war that must end, and end soon. But ending a war is far harder than starting one — a lesson Hamas has learned. Israel also has failed to define a future for Gaza without Hamas, still its core demand in ongoing talks.

It is impossible to responsibly answer how this war ends without fully grappling with October 7, 2023, and Hamas’ decision to invade Israel, slaughter 1,200 innocent people, and take more than 250 hostages (living and dead) back to its tunnels in Gaza.