Trump, Netanyahu agree on plan to end Gaza war, await Hamas acceptance of terms

WASHINGTON (AP):

United States (US) President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday they’ve agreed on a plan to end the war in Gaza, but it’s unclear whether Hamas will accept the terms.

Trump on Monday laid out a 20-point plan for ending the Israel-Hamas war and establishing a temporary governing board in the war-battered Palestinian territory that would be headed by Trump and include former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

The plan 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.

Trump said Israel would have the “full backing” of the US to take steps to defeat Hamas if the group doesn’t accept the proposed peace deal.

“I think we are beyond very close,” Trump said at the start of a news conference with Netanyahu where he detailed the plan. “We’re not quite finished. We have to get Hamas.”

“If Hamas rejects your plan, Mr President, or if they supposedly accept it and then do everything to counter it, then Israel will finish the job by itself,” Netanyahu said. “This can be done the easy way or it can be done the hard way, but it will be done.”

The president went on to urge Palestinian people to take responsibility “for their destiny” and embrace his peace proposal.

Qatar’s prime minister and Egypt’s intelligence chief presented Trump’s proposal to Hamas negotiators, who are now reviewing it in “good faith”, according to a person familiar with the matter. The person was not authorised to comment and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

While Hamas has said in the past that it would agree to step back from governing Gaza, the militant group has refused to disarm, something Netanyahu has long demanded as part of any long-term truce to end the war.

The Palestinian government in the occupied West Bank welcomed Trump’s plan and pledged to implement reforms called for in the plan, in order to return to Gaza and potentially clear the way for the establishment of a Palestinian state.

“We have affirmed our desire for a modern, democratic, and non-militarised Palestinian state, committed to pluralism and the peaceful transfer of power,” the Palestinian government said in a statement. It promised a series of reforms, including new elections, changes to its schoolbooks, and ending a system that pays the families of militants involved in attacks on Israelis.