No fixed timeline exists for achieving a comprehensive Middle East ceasefire. An immediate pause in fighting could occur within days or weeks if parties face strong pressure and effective mediation, but transforming it into a durable settlement typically requires months or years of sustained negotiation, prisoner exchanges, verification, and political talks on core disputes.

Both panelists identified five overlapping major obstacles. First, deep mistrust and ideological animosity make parties view agreements as tactical ruses rather than genuine commitments. Second, incompatible core goals—such as security demands versus sovereignty, territorial claims, and self-determination—remain fundamentally unresolved. Third, spoilers including non-state actors, proxy groups, hardliners, and militants benefit from continued fighting and can derail progress. Fourth, weak enforcement mechanisms mean no credible body can reliably monitor violations or punish breaches. Finally, regional spillover from adjacent theaters (Gaza, Lebanon, West Bank, Iran-linked tensions) can destabilize any agreement. Historical precedent shows that even when initial ceasefires are announced, sustaining them through implementation remains the harder, slower phase.