FM: John Whitbeck
Transmitted below is an article which includes the text of the
"Trump peace plan", in effect an Israeli-American ultimatum,
which Prime Minister Netanyahu formally accepted today.
No thinking person should be so naïve as to doubt that this is
an Israeli "peace plan" which the Israeli government has given
the Israel-Firsters in the U.S. government to present as an
American plan and which it hopes that Hamas will reject.
In 1994, soon after the Washington quarterly journal MIDDLE EAST
POLICY published the first of its two publications of my
"condominium solution" for sharing Jerusalem in a context of
peace and reconciliation, someone arranged a meeting for me at
the State Department to try to interest the U.S government in my
proposal.
My interlocutor was a young Middle East specialist named David
Satterfield, who went on to a distinguished career, including an
ambassadorship in Turkey, and who rapidly took the wind out of
my sails by telling me that I should not be so naïve as to
believe that the U.S. government would ever propose an original
idea regarding Israel-Palestinian peace.
And so it has been, so far as I can tell, for the past three
decades.
That said, the terms of the plan set forth below would be better
for the people of Gaza than the continuation of Israel's almost
two-year-old ethnic cleansing and genocide plan IF
the Israeli government were to adhere to all these terms.
However, it is exceedingly unlikely that Israel would do so.
Under the plan, Israel would get everything it ostensibly seeks
(the release of all remaining hostages) within 72 hours, while
its obligations would only come later, with extremely vague
timeframes for implementation.
After the release of the hostages contemplated by the first
phase of the agreement which Israel signed up to last January,
Israel simply refused to proceed to the second, let alone the
third, phase of the agreement and resumed its genocidal assault
against the people of Gaza, with no expressions of disapproval
or even disappointment from the U.S. government.
It would be a simple matter for Israel to repeat this
performance if Hamas aaccepted this ultimatum.
In this context, as I have written before, I have long been
puzzled as to why Netanyahu has not previously agreed to a plan
involving the release all the remaining hostages and then simply
ignored Israel's obligations once the hostages had been
released.
The most likely reason seemed to be that his reputation for
mendacity was so notorious that the
ultra-extreme-right-ministers in his government could not be
certain of the sincerity of his insincerity and threatened to
bring down his coalition government, leaving him to the mercy of
both domestic and international courts, if he entered into any
such agreement.
Presumably, Netanyahu has, while still hoping that Hamas will
reject this ultimatum, managed to convince these ministers of
the sincerity of his insincerity in this instance.
All of the above said, it now remains up to whatever leadership
of Hamas remains alive and capable of communication to make the
difficult decision whether or not it is in the best interests of
the Palestinian people to accept this ultimatum.
White House Releases Gaza Ceasefire
Plan as Trump Hosts Netanyahu
Hamas has yet to receive a written
proposal.
by Dave DeCamp
The White House released a 20-point plan for a
ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on Monday, as President Trump
hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his
fourth visit to Washington this year (read the full ceasefire
proposal at the end of the article).
During a joint press conference, Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he has accepted the
proposal, though throughout the genocidal war, he has
repeatedly sabotaged ceasefire deals, and there are several
points that Hamas may not accept. Israel also broke the last
ceasefire deal that was signed in January 2025. A Hamas official told Reuters
that the group has yet to receive a written peace proposal.
Netanyahu said that if Hamas doesn’t accept the
US-Israeli proposal, Israel will “finish the job” in Gaza, and
Trump said he’s willing to continue backing the slaughter in
Gaza. “If Hamas rejects the deal, Bibi you will have our full
backing to do what you have to do,” Trump said.
The deal would involve an immediate ceasefire
followed by Hamas releasing all remaining Israeli captives.
Once that happens, Israel will release 250 life sentence
prisoners plus 1,700 Palestinians thrown in Israeli prisons
after October 7th, 2023, including all women and children
detained in that context.
The deal includes a phased Israeli withdrawal,
although it would allow Israel to maintain control of a
“buffer zone” inside Gaza’s border, one of the potential
sticking points for Hamas. It will establish a temporary
transitional government headed by “apolitical” Palestinians
that will be overseen by a so-called “Board of Peace.” Trump
will be the chair of the board, and former UK Prime Minister
Tony Blair will also be involved.
The proposal calls for the “demilitarization” of
Gaza, which could be rejected by Hamas since the group has
said it wouldn’t disarm until a Palestinian state is formed.
Under the US plan, the US would “work with Arab and
international partners to develop a temporary International
Stabilization Force (ISF) to immediately deploy in Gaza.”
The deal envisions a “reformed” Palestinian
Authority eventually taking over governance in Gaza, an idea
Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected. The outline also says that
if the deal is implemented, it may lead to a “credible pathway
to Palestinian self-determination and statehood,” but it
doesn’t mention the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Israel
continues to expand illegal Jewish settlements.
The proposal also says that Israel will “not
occupy or annex Gaza” and that “no one will be forced to leave
Gaza,” a break from Trump’s previous calls for the removal of
the Palestinian population, which Israeli officials have used
to push for the ethnic cleansing of the territory.
The following is the full ceasefire plan as
outlined by the White House:
President Donald J. Trump’s Comprehensive Plan
to End the Gaza Conflict:
- Gaza will be a deradicalized terror-free zone
that does not pose a threat to its neighbors.
- Gaza will be redeveloped for the benefit of
the people of Gaza, who have suffered more than enough.
- If both sides agree to this proposal, the war
will immediately end. Israeli forces will withdraw to the
agreed upon line to prepare for a hostage release. During
this time, all military operations, including aerial and
artillery bombardment, will be suspended, and battle lines
will remain frozen until conditions are met for the complete
staged withdrawal.
- Within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting
this agreement, all hostages, alive and deceased, will be
returned.
- Once all hostages are released, Israel will
release 250 life sentence prisoners plus 1700 Gazans who
were detained after October 7th 2023, including all women
and children detained in that context. For every Israeli
hostage whose remains are released, Israel will release the
remains of 15 deceased Gazans.
- Once all hostages are returned, Hamas members
who commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission
their weapons will be given amnesty. Members of Hamas who
wish to leave Gaza will be provided safe passage to
receiving countries.
- Upon acceptance of this agreement, full aid
will be immediately sent into the Gaza Strip. At a minimum,
aid quantities will be consistent with what was included in
the January 19, 2025, agreement regarding humanitarian aid,
including rehabilitation of infrastructure (water,
electricity, sewage), rehabilitation of hospitals and
bakeries, and entry of necessary equipment to remove rubble
and open roads.
- Entry of distribution and aid in the Gaza
Strip will proceed without interference from the two parties
through the United Nations and its agencies, and the Red
Crescent, in addition to other international institutions
not associated in any manner with either party. Opening the
Rafah crossing in both directions will be subject to the
same mechanism implemented under the January 19, 2025
agreement.
- Gaza will be governed under the temporary
transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical
Palestinian committee, responsible for delivering the
day-to-day running of public services and municipalities for
the people in Gaza. This committee will be made up of
qualified Palestinians and international experts, with
oversight and supervision by a new international
transitional body, the “Board of Peace,” which will be
headed and chaired by President Donald J. Trump, with other
members and heads of State to be announced, including Former
Prime Minister Tony Blair. This body will set the framework
and handle the funding for the redevelopment of Gaza until
such time as the Palestinian Authority has completed its
reform program, as outlined in various proposals, including
President Trump’s peace plan in 2020 and the Saudi-French
proposal, and can securely and effectively take back control
of Gaza. This body will call on best international standards
to create modern and efficient governance that serves the
people of Gaza and is conducive to attracting investment.
- A Trump economic development plan to rebuild
and energize Gaza will be created by convening a panel of
experts who have helped birth some of the thriving modern
miracle cities in the Middle East. Many thoughtful
investment proposals and exciting development ideas have
been crafted by well-meaning international groups, and will
be considered to synthesize the security and governance
frameworks to attract and facilitate these investments that
will create jobs, opportunity, and hope for future Gaza.
- A special economic zone will be established
with preferred tariff and access rates to be negotiated with
participating countries.
- No one will be forced to leave Gaza, and
those who wish to leave will be free to do so and free to
return. We will encourage people to stay and offer them the
opportunity to build a better Gaza.
- Hamas and other factions agree to not have
any role in the governance of Gaza, directly, indirectly, or
in any form. All military, terror, and offensive
infrastructure, including tunnels and weapon production
facilities, will be destroyed and not rebuilt. There will be
a process of demilitarization of Gaza under the supervision
of independent monitors, which will include placing weapons
permanently beyond use through an agreed process of
decommissioning, and supported by an internationally funded
buy back and reintegration program all verified by the
independent monitors. New Gaza will be fully committed to
building a prosperous economy and to peaceful coexistence
with their neighbors.
- A guarantee will be provided by regional
partners to ensure that Hamas, and the factions, comply with
their obligations and that New Gaza poses no threat to its
neighbors or its people.
- The United States will work with Arab and
international partners to develop a temporary International
Stabilization Force (ISF) to immediately deploy in Gaza. The
ISF will train and provide support to vetted Palestinian
police forces in Gaza, and will consult with Jordan and
Egypt who have extensive experience in this field. This
force will be the long-term internal security solution. The
ISF will work with Israel and Egypt to help secure border
areas, along with newly trained Palestinian police forces.
It is critical to prevent munitions from entering Gaza and
to facilitate the rapid and secure flow of goods to rebuild
and revitalize Gaza. A deconfliction mechanism will be
agreed upon by the parties.
- Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza. As the
ISF establishes control and stability, the Israel Defense
Forces (IDF) will withdraw based on standards, milestones,
and timeframes linked to demilitarization that will be
agreed upon between the IDF, ISF, the guarantors, and the
Unites States, with the objective of a secure Gaza that no
longer poses a threat to Israel, Egypt, or its citizens.
Practically, the IDF will progressively hand over the Gaza
territory it occupies to the ISF according to an agreement
they will make with the transitional authority until they
are withdrawn completely from Gaza, save for a security
perimeter presence that will remain until Gaza is properly
secure from any resurgent terror threat.
- In the event Hamas delays or rejects this
proposal, the above, including the scaled-up aid operation,
will proceed in the terror-free areas handed over from the
IDF to the ISF.
- An interfaith dialogue process will be
established based on the values of tolerance and peaceful
co-existence to try and change mindsets and narratives of
Palestinians and Israelis by emphasizing the benefits that
can be derived from peace.
- While Gaza re-development advances and when
the PA reform program is faithfully carried out, the
conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to
Palestinian self-determination and statehood, which we
recognize as the aspiration of the Palestinian people.
- The United States will establish a dialogue
between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political
horizon for peaceful and prosperous co-existence.