Peace plan backed by Netanyahu and Arab nations; Hamas mulls response

United States President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sept 29 said that they had agreed on a plan to end the conflict in Gaza, leaning heavily into conditions that Hamas has previously rejected.

Trump’s 20-point plan calls for all hostilities to end immediately, a swap of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, a staged Israeli troop withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, Hamas disarmament, and a transitional government led by an international body.

Trump would chair an international “board of peace” to govern and reconstruct the Gaza Strip as part of the plan, which does not require residents to leave the territory.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Netanyahu, Trump said it is time for Hamas to accept the peace proposal.

Hamas said on Sept 30 that it will discuss the peace plan within the group and with other Palestinian factions before responding.

The same day, Trump said that Hamas has about three or four days to respond to his proposed Gaza peace plan or face the consequences.

Global reaction was swift. Eight key Arab and Islamic nations — Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Turkiye, Indonesia, and Pakistan — welcomed the plan.

They reaffirmed their commitment to work with the US to secure a deal that guarantees unrestricted humanitarian aid to Gaza, the release of hostages, security for all sides, full Israeli withdrawal, reconstruction of Gaza, and a path toward a just two-state solution.

In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of the eight countries also hailed Trump’s announcement last week that he will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank.

Though the delegation of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had been barred from attending the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly where Trump met Arab and Muslim leaders, the Palestinian Authority, based in the West Bank, expressed readiness to “work with the US, regional countries, and partners to end the Gaza war through a comprehensive agreement”, the official WAFA news agency reported.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad Secretary-General Ziyad al-Nakhalah called Trump’s proposal “nothing but a full American-Israeli agreement”, Mehr news agency reported.

In devastated Gaza, meanwhile, residents expressed skepticism that the plan could end their sufferings. “We as a people will not accept this farce,” said Abu Mazen Nassar, 52, one of 1.9 million Gazans displaced since October 2023.

“They want to impose their own peace,” Umm Mohammed, a history teacher sheltered with her family in Gaza City, told the Associated Press. “In fact, this is not a peace plan. It’s a surrender plan. It returns us to times of colonialism.”

Phyllis Bennis, a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, said Trump’s plan lacks protection for Palestinians. “There are no guarantees to protect Palestinian interests. There are no guarantees that the war will come to a permanent end … This is really a scenario that does not promise an end to the war, does promise a long-term occupation by foreign troops,” she said.

Steven Cook, a senior fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations think tank, said an end to the conflict may be closer but cautioned that further work is needed. “The Qataris now must put the screws on Hamas, and Netanyahu needs to sell (the plan) to his security cabinet,” he said.

In a video statement published on Telegram on Sept 30, Netanyahu said the Israeli military “will remain in most of the Gaza Strip”.

At a United Nations Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, on Sept 29, Fu Cong, China’s permanent representative to the UN, said “the country with special influence on Israel” must assume its corresponding responsibilities in earnest.

“We must take robust action to de-escalate tensions in the West Bank,” Fu said. “We must act with utmost urgency to end the conflict in Gaza.”

He also called for efforts to revitalize the two-state solution with a firm resolve.

“Together with the international community, China stands ready to push for an immediate end to the fighting in Gaza, alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe, implement the two-state solution, and advance a comprehensive, just, and lasting solution to the question of Palestine, to make greater contributions to the peace and stability in the Middle East.” Fu said.

Yang Yilin in Beijing and agencies contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at huanxinzhao@chinadailyusa.com