President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for ending the war in Gaza reads more like a joint U.S.-Israeli diktat to Hamas. Almost every provision involving Israel, other than mutual prisoner releases, is left to that country’s judgment and discretion. The plan even calls for Westerners to rule Gaza, perhaps for many years, with little to no genuine Palestinian input. Yet chances are strong that Hamas will accept this proposal, perhaps with a caveat to clarify some points.
Israel’s stake in the proposal is clear. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under pressure coming from multiple directions: His military is overstretched, his public wants him to bring the hostages home, and his ally in Washington wants to end the war. At his joint press conference with Trump, Netanyahu crowed that the plan was particularly welcome because “it meets all of our war aims.” Israel has already largely accomplished these on the ground anyway: Hamas’s government structure, Gaza’s leadership, and any semblance of command and control have been smashed, literally to rubble.
The calculus that the proposal presents to Hamas is far more complicated.
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