Photo: Alamy
President Donald Trump, on Monday, was joined by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House during a bilateral announcement revealing a 20-point peace plan designed to bring an end to the conflict in Gaza.
The plan was released by the White House just before President Trump delivered remarks to the press.
“It’s a big, big day,” President Trump said. “…It’s called ‘peace’ in the Middle East. Let’s call it ETERNAL peace in the Middle East!”
The president described this deal as “just part of the bigger picture” of establishing long-term peace overseas in the ongoing conflict between Israel and those who occupy the Gaza Strip – a contentious conflict that has brewed for many decades.
The president said that PM Netanyahu had agreed to the plan, and that there were many Arab countries, like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, who are deeply involved these negotiations.
“All parties will agree on a timeline for Israeli forces to withdraw,” President Trump said.
According to the plan released by the White House, Gaza will become a “deradicalized terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors.”
The Gaza territory will be developed and secured, and Hamas terrorists in the region, if they agree to this peace plan, would return their hostages in exchange for 250 life sentence prisoners and 1,700 detained Gazans on the Israeli side.
If the peace deal is agreed to, aid will be sent to the Gaza Strip, including assistance to aid in structural rebuilding. “Gaza will be governed under the temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, responsible for delivering the day-to-day running of public services and municipalities for the people in Gaza,” the plan outlined.
The president said during his announcement that this governance will be overseen by a “Board of Peace,” headed by President Donald Trump and other prominent heads of state, including former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.
“We’ll do it right,” President Trump vowed.
However, in the event that Hamas does not agree to these terms, Trump said that PM Netanyahu and the state of Israel had the full support of the United States “to finish the job of destroying the threat of Hamas – but I hope that we’re going to have a deal for peace.”
The president emphasized his desire to solidify peace in the region for “eternity,” and also highlighted, more than once, the importance of ensuring the return of Israeli hostages from Hamas.
“The people want to get back to peace,” President Trump said. “…I challenge the Palestinians to take responsibility for their destiny.”
In his remarks, PM Netanyahu thanked President Trump for his “friendship and for your leadership.”
“From Jerusalem to Tehran, from the Golan Heights to Gaza, you’ve proven time and again what I have said many times, you are the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House,” he said.
Netanyahu said he believed that Monday represented a “critical step toward both ending the war in Gaza and setting the stage for dramatically advancing peace in the Middle East – I think, beyond the Middle East.”
The Israeli leader said he supported President Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza, because it aligns with Israel’s goals. It will bring back the hostages and dismantle Hamas’s military capabilities and political power.
“We would not have achieved this…without the courage and sacrifices of our incredibly brave soldiers,” Netanyahu stated. “They find like lions to defend the people of Israel, and they serve on the frontline of the war between civilization and barbarity.”
According to the agreement, upon Israel’s public acceptance of this plan, Hamas will have 72 hours to return all hostages, both alive and deceased.