Donald Trump revealed his 20-point peace plan for Gaza yesterday alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who endorsed the proposal. The plan calls for Hamas to disarm, relinquish any governance over Gaza, and release the remaining hostages in exchange for an end to the fighting, the initiation of a phased Israeli withdrawal, the release of Palestinian prisoners, and an amnesty for the Hamas leadership. Gaza’s reconstruction would be administered by a board of Palestinian “technocrats” chaired by Trump himself with the help of former UK prime minister Tony Blair, and secured by an “international stabilisation force”. International aid would be resumed, Palestinians would be allowed to return, and Israel would refrain from occupying or annexing Gaza.
Not only Netanyahu, but the Palestinian Authority and a raft of Arab and Muslim countries welcomed Trump’s efforts, eager to stop the killing and regional destabilisation. Taken at face value, the plan would end the slaughter and prevent the ethnic cleansing of the strip while fulfilling Israel’s goal of destroying Hamas and Trump’s dream of a “Gaza Riviera”.
Unfortunately, the plan is unlikely to be accepted by Hamas. The essence of the proposal—that the group surrender and disarm—is not new, and has been a recurrent impasse in previous efforts to end the conflict. At the time of writing, Hamas has not officially responded to the plan, but claims to be considering it and in consultation with Arab governments.
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