As President Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened for their crucial Monday meeting, the central question on everyone’s mind was whether Trump would finally compel Israel to de-escalate the ongoing war in Gaza.
However, the outcome proved to be a remarkable triumph for Netanyahu. Trump’s peace initiative largely mirrored the Israeli leader’s long-held demands: an immediate release of all hostages by Hamas and their disarmament. Crucially, without these conditions met, Israel retained a blank check to continue its military operations in Gaza.
The proposal also ensured that Israeli forces could maintain a presence along Gaza’s perimeter indefinitely. The mention of Palestinian statehood was so brief and conditional it effectively dismissed the aspiration as a distant fantasy. Moreover, the Palestinian Authority was sidelined, with no immediate role in Gaza’s future governance.
This represented a significant, albeit rare, victory for Netanyahu, underscoring his ability to achieve major objectives despite growing international condemnation. Only the previous week, several European nations had recognized a Palestinian state, defying Israel, and Netanyahu had faced a largely empty chamber when addressing the United Nations, highlighting his diplomatic isolation.
Later that Monday, standing beside President Trump, Netanyahu publicly lauded the U.S.-backed framework, asserting it met his requirements for concluding the conflict with Hamas. Surprisingly, even Arab and Muslim governments, including the Palestinian Authority, seemed prepared to accept the terms.
For Hamas, the plan offered no role in the future administration of the Gaza Strip, a clear stipulation that removed any ambiguity from previous peace efforts.
Hamas leaders now face a critical juncture: accept Trump’s plan, attempt to renegotiate its stringent conditions, or reject it entirely. Each choice presents substantial risks for the Palestinian militant group, which has remarkably endured nearly two years of relentless Israeli military pressure through persistent insurgency.
According to Ibrahim Madhoun, a Palestinian analyst with ties to Hamas, the Trump plan’s core intent to “exclude Hamas” makes it an incredibly tough pill for the group to swallow. Hamas officials have consistently declared that giving up their weapons, a key demand in the proposal, is a non-negotiable ‘red line’.
Madhoun acknowledged that Hamas might still agree to the proposal, or at least use it as a foundation for further negotiations to halt the war. However, he pointed out that many of the plan’s other twenty provisions were ambiguously worded, suggesting that extensive discussions would be necessary to clarify their implementation.
“Each clause is so fraught with potential complications that it would necessitate its own distinct agreement,” Madhoun concluded, highlighting the intricate challenges ahead.