A source close to Hamas told Ynet that “the organization is ready to show great flexibility in negotiations with Israel, according to US President Donald Trump’s plan.” According to the source, «the movement will have to face the most difficult phases of the plan, including disarmament and exile of the leaders, but this is necessary to prevent the fighting from resuming. The current agreement includes the first phase of the plan and negotiations for the second phase will begin immediately. The ceasefire will continue as long as both sides maintain their commitment”, we read on Ynet.
Trump’s deal triumphs, but the devil is in the details
For Donald Trump, a peace agreement – or even just a lasting ceasefire between Israel and Hamas – could represent the greatest diplomatic success of his presidency. The details and timing of a deal to end the war remain unclear, but the statement of intent is significant, writes the Guardian. Accepting a deal with the political support of Arab states and other regional powers represents the best chance of ending the war that has been rumored since March. The first phase of the peace plan, as Trump defined it in a post on Truth, is simple: the return of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a limited withdrawal by the Israeli army. But finding all the hostages and managing an Israeli withdrawal could be complicated.
In line with the tone of the Trump presidency, the hopes are expressed hyperbolically: «ALL hostages will be released very soon and Israel will withdraw its troops according to an agreed line, as a first step towards a strong, lasting and lasting peace. All parties will be treated fairly!
There is still much to discuss. The administration’s proposed 20-point peace plan seeks to strike the right balance between creating the conditions for a ceasefire and negotiating a definitive end to the war, but difficult questions about the future of Hamas and the terrorist group’s disarmament and Israel’s vision for the future of Gaza remain to be resolved.
This is not a new situation: the Trump administration was in a hurry to negotiate an end to the Gaza war even before taking office, and a hastily organized ceasefire in January stalled when it came to establishing the sequence for the release of the hostages.
Yet this is a crucial moment. No one said Israel’s war in Gaza should end with Oslo-style peace deals: the US president is openly biased and mercurial, yet he has exercised his unpredictability to keep both his allies and enemies in the balance and is said to be motivated by an ambition to win the Nobel Peace Prize as Barack Obama did sixteen years ago.
The award will be presented in a week and the desire for it to go to the president of the United States has been the basis of many political considerations in Washington and throughout the Middle East. But the residual tensions are evident. Hamas has invited Trump and the other parties involved to “ensure that the Israeli occupation government fully respects the terms of the agreement”: the fear is that Israel could resume the offensive once the hostages have been returned. “We will never abandon the national rights of our people until freedom, independence and self-determination are achieved”, the movement said and Netanyahu also has political considerations to address. For today he “summoned the government to approve the agreement and bring home all our loved ones still held hostage”. He must manage the response from right-wing members of his government, including the Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, and the National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, who have threatened to overthrow the executive in the event of a ceasefire.
Trump, for his part, tried to break the impasse with brute force, threatening “hell” on Gaza if his desire for peace was not met and accusing Netanyahu, who expressed doubts about the deal, of being “always so fucking negative.”
The President plans to be in the region over the weekend for the signing of the agreement. This is his moment, and it may take all his influence and personal prestige to prevent another breakdown in talks and a return to fighting from inflicting a diplomatic defeat on his administration.