Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday at the White House. The two leaders discussed trade, Iran, the expansion of the Abraham Accords, and most importantly, ending the war in Gaza. The two leaders also discussed President Trump’s 21-point peace plan for ending the war.
The plan is a vision for new Middle-East peace, and if accepted by both parties, this can drastically change the Middle East forever.
Points one and two:
- “Gaza will be a deradicalised terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbours.”
- “Gaza will be redeveloped for the benefit of the people of Gaza, who have suffered more than enough.”
If the deal is accepted by both parties, aid will immediately be sent into the Gaza Strip, with point 11 stating that a special economic zone will be established with preferred tariff and access rates to be negotiated with participating countries. Gaza will be governed by a temporary transitional committee, spearheaded by Trump and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and qualified Palestinians and experts. The plan also includes a timeline for the release of all 48 remaining hostages, living and deceased, for the return of Palestinian prisoners and the remains of 15 deceased Gazans. It states that “Within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting this agreement, all hostages, alive and deceased, will be returned.”
The fifth and sixth points of the proposal state:
- “Once all hostages are released, Israel will release 250 life sentence prisoners plus 1,700 Gazans who were detained after October 7, 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 coexistence 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.”
The committee overseeing this process, known as the “Board of Peace,” will set the framework for redeveloping Gaza, including day-to-day jobs and municipal activities. The “Board of Peace” also hopes to establish an interfaith dialogue process between Israelis and Palestinians, to change mindsets and narratives and ensure smooth tolerances. The United States also plans to do the same.
The plan leaves Hamas to agree to not have any role in the governance of Gaza. Working with Arab and international partners, the United States will work to develop a temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF) to train and provide support to Palestinian police officers, and will consult with Jordan and Egypt. This force aims to be the long-term security solution in Gaza.
Also at the meeting, the two leaders called the Emir of Qatar, in which Netanyahu personally apologized for the failed attack targeting Hamas leadership in Doha. While addressing the press, it was revealed by President Trump that Netanyahu agreed to the plan. Netanyahu told reporters that this plan “can be not only a new beginning for Gaza, but a new beginning for the entire region.”
Point 12 and point 14 state:
- “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.”
- “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 neighbours or its people.”
Trump has given Hamas 3-4 days to accept the proposal, and said that if they don’t, Israel will do “what they need to do.”
