Source: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Hamas said Tuesday it will discuss U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza within the group and with other Palestinian factions before responding. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already thrown his support behind it, but it’s unclear whether Hamas will agree and when it will give its response.
The proposal demands that Hamas effectively surrender and disarm in return for an end to fighting, humanitarian aid for Palestinians and the promise of reconstruction in Gaza — all desperately hoped for by the population in the devastated territory where the death toll in the Israel-Hamas war has topped 66,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Meanwhile, backing and support were pouring in for the proposal from the international community. Trump and Netanyahu said after talks Monday at the White House that they had agreed on the plan.
Hamas has ‘a difficult choice’ to make, analyst says
Sadeq Abu Amer, head of the Turkey-based think tank Palestinian Dialogue Group, said the Trump proposal places Hamas in front of a difficult choice.
The proposal, on its face, meets Hamas’ main demands, but on the other hand, it stipulates “that Hamas will not be present the day after (the war) at all,” in addition to the “international guardianship over the Gaza Strip, its separation from its territory and its separation from the West Bank and the freezing of the path of a two-state solution,” Abu Amer said,
However, given the balance of power in the field and pressure from its regional allies, Abu Amer said it is likely Hamas will “take the poison and accept this initiative.”
The allied — but much smaller — militant group, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, has publicly stated its rejection of the proposal, an apparent complication since it is believed to also hold some of the Israeli hostages.
However, Abu Amer believes Hamas can impose its decision on the more “marginal” factions and that if the Islamic Jihad does have hostages, Hamas “will be able to recover them” if it decides to accept the deal.
Trump: Hamas has “three or four days” to respond to proposal
“Hamas is either going to be doing it or not,” U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House. “And if it’s not, it’s going to be a very sad end.”
The president added there was “not much” room for Hamas to negotiate under the terms of his latest peace proposal, which he unveiled Monday.
Qatari and Egyptian officials have presented the proposal to Hamas negotiators, who are now reviewing it.
Trump on Monday said Israel would have his administration’s “full backing” to destroy Hamas if the group does not agree to the deal. Asked on Tuesday what American support would amount to, the president declined to provide details but expressed confidence that Israel would be able to take decisive action.
“I would let them go do what they have to do,” Trump added. “They could do it pretty easily.”
What’s in Trump’s plan
Trump’s 20-point plan for ending the war and establishing a postwar Gaza governance does not require people to leave Gaza and calls for the war to end immediately if both sides accept it.
It also calls for all remaining hostages to be released by Hamas within 72 hours of Israel accepting the plan.
The plan would effectively put the territory and its more than 2 million people under international control, deploying an international security force and installing a “Board of Peace” headed by Trump and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to oversee the administration and reconstruction.
The territory would remain surrounded by Israeli troops. Hamas would have no part in administering Gaza, and all its military infrastructure — including tunnels — would be dismantled.
The international security force would keep order and train Palestinian police to take over law enforcement. Egypt has said it is training thousands of Palestinian police to deploy to Gaza.
