President Trump told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone call Thursday that he wants him to take steps to implement his Gaza peace plan, regardless of whether Netanyahu or the opposition form the next government, according to two sources cited by Axios. The road map calls for the disarmament of Hamas, the denuclearization of Gaza and the transfer of responsibility for the management of the Strip to a new Palestinian technocrat government.
The program was put on hold for months due to Israel's October 27 election, as the administration did not want it to become a politically explosive issue during the election campaign. A year ago, Israel and Hamas agreed on the first phase of Trump's 20-point plan, which led to a ceasefire and the release of the last 20 hostages alive.
The Peace Council is working on an implementation plan, and last July reached a 15-point agreement with Hamas to disarm the armed factions and transfer civil and security control to a new Palestinian government. Since then, the Netanyahu government has largely refused to move forward, mainly due to internal political considerations.
Jared Kushner told Netanyahu during a visit in August that Hamas had agreed to disarm for the first time, and urged him to examine whether the commitment was genuine. Netanyahu remains extremely skeptical about the possibility that Hamas will ever disarm, and claims that the organization is rebuilding and rearming in Gaza.
Over the past three months, the Peace Council has been working with the Israeli government and the IDF to clarify the details and address concerns, with an American official stating that the process will be gradual and that rehabilitation will begin only after it is verified that there has been progress in disarming Hamas. The council unveiled an initial six-month recovery plan of $2.45 billion at the UN General Assembly in September.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff also participated in the conversation, which Netanyahu initiated and a source described as constructive. The conversation also dealt with the war in Iran.