The Middle East could be on the verge of a major turning point. On Friday, Hamas signaled openness to Donald Trump’s 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza. On Monday, mediators will convene in Egypt to facilitate indirect peace talks between Hamas and Israel. On the table: the possible release of all remaining Israeli hostages, the transfer of control over Gaza away from Hamas, and a permanent ceasefire. But Hamas’s conditions for agreement remain unclear. And Israel, despite demands from Trump on Friday to “immediately stop the bombing,” has continued its air strikes on Gaza.
How did we get here? According to Peter Berkowitz, the answer is Trump’s long-standing policy of advancing Israeli-Palestinian peace by strengthening ties with Israel’s Arab neighbors. But getting Hamas to the table was only the first step. What will happen next? Could the war really be about to end? That’s the question Elliott Abrams addresses in his piece for The Free Press, published just after Hamas issued its response to Trump. —The Editors
On Friday, President Donald Trump gave Hamas a Sunday deadline to respond to his peace proposal to end the Gaza war. Hours later, the Iran-backed terrorist group replied, agreeing to release all the hostages and enter into negotiations for a permanent ceasefire. At the same time, Hamas stated that hostages will be released only “with the provision of the field conditions necessary for the exchange process.”
On Friday evening, Trump announced: “Based on the Statement just issued by Hamas, I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE. Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly. . . this is about long sought PEACE in the Middle East.”
Trump’s ambitious plan provides for, among other things, the prompt release of Israeli hostages; disarming Hamas, demilitarizing the territory, and deradicalizing the population; increased humanitarian aid to, and rebuilding of, Gaza; the formation of a technocratic government; the introduction into Gaza of an “International Stabilization Force”; and reform of the Palestinian Authority (PA) as the crucial precondition for launching a “credible pathway” to a Palestinian state.
