US President Donald Trump praised the “historic dawn of a new Middle East” in a speech to Israel’s parliament yesterday, but his 20-point ceasefire plan still leaves several loose ends.
President Trump also co-hosted the Gaza Summit in Egypt, attended by more than 20 world leaders, where he co-signed an agreement with ceasefire brokers to work toward peace in the region.
At stake include how the largely destroyed Gaza Strip will be governed after the war, and how Hamas’ disarmament and Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza will take place.
The deal makes a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops conditional on Hamas’ disarmament, leaving Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu free to insist his country is free to resume fighting.
Hamas’ chief negotiator Khalil al-Khaiya said last week that he had received assurances from the United States and international mediators that Hamas’ agreement meant “a permanent end to the war” rather than a temporary ceasefire. However, it is not clear how that guarantee was obtained.
A key unanswered question is what will happen to Hamas, said Burk Ozcelik, senior Middle East security researcher at the Royal Integrated Services Institute (RUSI), a British think tank.
“We’re seeing a path towards a Palestinian state, but at the end of the day, this is a Palestinian state that has no place for Hamas,” Ozcelik told CNN.
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