CAIRO (AP) — Much remains unknown about President Donald Trump’s 21-point peace plan for Gaza. However, one difference stands out from previous ceasefire proposals. For the first time, we try to outline the important question of how territory is controlled. war.
There are provisions that may be rejected by either Israel or Hamas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Meet Trump at the White House Monday to discuss the plans.
For Hamas, planning means surrender. Not only are extremist groups no longer govern Gaza, they are a concession that they said they are willing to make. You will also need to disarm what you have rejected up until now.
For Israel, that means Netanyahu has no direct security controls for the Gaza Strip, which Israel says they want to maintain. But even more importantly, the plan stipulates the Jordans-based Palestinian authority to ultimately rule Gaza, which Netanyahu and his Hardline allies reverberate and reject.
It also suggests a process that could lead to the creation of a Palestinian state – It was also rejected by Israel.
In the near future, the plan envisages a kind of international governance in Gaza. International security forces, perhaps mostly composed of Arab countries, deployed, and the International Commission oversees the interim government of Palestinian technocrats, carrying out daily issues.
There is no public text for the proposal yet. It is difficult to judge that provision. Four Arab officials provided the Associated Press with a summary of the plan, on condition of anonymity, as the text was not confirmed. Everything warned that the wider contours still change and that many details must be hammered, that is, all potential pitfalls that could cause the plan to collapse.
This is what we know so far.
Ceasefire
The plan calls for all hostilities to end immediately. Within 48 hours, Hamas has released all hostages that it still holds, living or dead. The militants still hold 48 hostages. Of these, 20 are believed to be alive by Israel.
In return, Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including life sentences for several services and the bodies of other Palestinians held by Israel.
Israel also conducted a gradual withdrawal of troops from the Gaza Strip.
But many remain vague. In the previous two ceasefire deals, it took months to launch the timing and number of hostage and prisoners releases.
Furthermore, the scope and timing of Israel’s withdrawal are not defined. Hamas said that unless the war ends and Israel receives a “clear declaration” to leave Gaza for good, they will not release all hostages.
Israel had previously refused to withdraw completely and said it wanted to control the Philadelphi Corridor, a land located on Gaza’s southern border with Egypt, in order to prevent smuggling of weapons. We also talked about maintaining a buffer zone within Gaza, but it’s not clear whether they’ll stick to that demand.
Hamas and the fate of postwar Gaza
Hamas is not involved in Gaza management, and all military infrastructure, including the tunnel, will be dismantled. Members who pledge to live peacefully will be given pardon, and those who wish to leave Gaza will be given.
International security forces will ensure Hamas’ disarmament and maintain orders. They will also train Palestinian police to take over law enforcement. Mediator Egypt says it is training thousands of Palestinian police to deploy to Gaza.
Meanwhile, humanitarian aid is permitted to flow to Gaza in large quantities and is run by “neutral international organizations” including the United Nations and the Red Crescent Moon. It is unclear whether the Gaza Humanitarian Fund, a controversial alternative food distribution system supported by Israel and the US, will continue to operate.
The plan also specifies that Palestinians will not be expelled from Gaza and there will be international efforts to rebuild Palestinian territory.
Normally, it may not require spelling. But the Palestinians feared mass expulsion after both Trump and the Israeli government said they would push Gaza’s population out in a “voluntary” way and restructure the strip as a kind of international real estate venture.
The interim government of Palestinian technocrats will carry out their daily operations in Gaza. But the plan also has vague provisions led by the “International Commission,” perhaps the United States. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has been working on Gaza’s international management plan over the transition period.
The committee will also oversee funding for the reconstruction. This is the biggest challenge facing territory that has been almost completely destroyed by Israeli campaigns, and is a role that can provide great power in governing Gaza.
Palestine authority and state
During this interim administration, Palestinian authorities were reformed and ultimately allowed them to govern Gaza.
This plan appears to be intentionally avoiding the direct talk of the final Palestinian state. Instead, the United States says it will promote consultations between Israelis and Palestinians about a “long-term framework for peaceful coexistence.”
Still, the proposal does not rule out the state and can build momentum towards it. By agreeing to that, Israel was able to commit to restarting peace talks with the Palestinians for the first time in more than a decade.
Previous responses
Arab countries seem to support the outline. Egyptian and UAE leaders met in Cairo on Monday to express their support and said the initiative “paving the way for a lasting and inclusive peace in the region.”
Hamas officials say they have been briefed on the plan. But they haven’t responded until they saw the final suggestion.
Hamas has so far refused to disarmament and said he has the right to resist until Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land is over.
Prior to Monday’s White House meeting, Netanyahu said he and Trump were working on the proposal. “We’re not yet certain, but we’re working with President Trump’s team to actually talk about it, and we hope we can do it.
Netanyahu also faces pressure from his own ultranationalist coalition allies.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, part of Netanyahu’s security cabinet, published a list of “red lines” to X on Monday in warning to Netanyahu ahead of his meeting with Trump.
Sumotrich is one of the voices of the right-wing block of Netanyahu’s coalition, who had previously threatened to leave the government if Netanyahu stopped the war in Gaza. Even if these parties quit, the centralized politicians vowed to Netanyahu with the necessary support to prevent the government from falling apart and approve the ceasefire.
Smotrich said Gaza should not be involved in Palestinian authority. “It’s neither explicit nor implicit today nor in the future.” He also said that there should not be any mention of the Palestinian state. “Implicitly.”
“The idea of the Palestinian state must be removed from the table forever,” Smotrich wrote.
