Trump and Netanyahu propose demilitarization and foreign rule over Gaza with 20-point plan
Washington DC - President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday presented Hamas with an ultimatum to accept surrender and foreign rule over Gaza as part of a so-called peace plan.
The proposal calls for a ceasefire, the release of Israeli captives within 72 hours, disarmament of Hamas and gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, followed by a post-war transitional authority headed by Trump himself.
Hamas officials were only presented with the details of the plan after Trump held his joint press conference with Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.
Refusal to accede to all demands, Trump said, would lead to the US pushing Israel to "finish the job" in Gaza.
The 20 points stipulated by Donald Trump's administration do not include a timeline for the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza or the transfer of power to the Palestinian Authority – the internationally recognized representative of the Palestinian people.
Instead, it puts Trump, former British prime minister Tony Blair – himself accused of war crimes for his role in the illegal 2003 invasion of Iraq – and other international actors in charge of the territory, all while Israel retains control of its borders.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority is expected to "reform" by dropping all opposition to Israel's treatment of Palestinians, including legal proceedings at the ICC and the International Court of Justice, where a genocide case is ongoing.
Netanyahu immediately undermines plan
Most world leaders, including those of Middle East states, responded positively to the proposal.
But Netanyahu quickly poured cold water on any notion that Israel will avoid sabotaging prospects for peace, as it has done several times since October 7, 2023.
In a video statement posted on his Telegram channel after his joint press conference with Trump, Netanyahu said the military would stay in most of Gaza, and also said he ruled out the possibility of a Palestinian state during his talks with Trump.
"We will recover all our hostages, alive and well, while the (Israeli military) will remain in most of the Gaza Strip," he said.
With the full military and diplomatic backing of successive US administrations, Israel has largely destroyed Gaza and killed tens of thousands of Palestinians in what legal experts, international bodies, and scholars have determined to be a full-blown genocide.
Cover photo: Collage: REUTERS