Israel resists key points in Trump’s Gaza peace plan

Arab countries have also suggested amendments to the work in progress.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

U.S. President Donald Trump is touting his 21-point plan as the way to end the war in Gaza and said he expects Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to it in their meeting Monday.

But the proposal seems to be more of a work in progress, with all sides, including Israel, voicing hesitations and suggesting amendments.

One major point of the plan is the expectation that the U.S., togther with Palestinian technocrats unaffiliated with Hamas, will administer Gaza until the Palestinian Authority (PA) completes a reform program.

The PA would then gradually take over governance, with Israel agreeing that a reformed PA could become a state.

Netanyahu has said repeatedly that the PA is a terror-supporting entity, pointing especially to its “pay for slay” policy of financially supporting imprisoned terrorists and the families of those killed while attacking Israelis.

In a Fox News interview Sunday, Netanyahu said he does not believe the PA would “completely change its stripes,” abandon the policy, and “teach its children to embrace coexistence and friendship with the Jewish state rather than living their lives ready to annihilate us.”

“I don’t think it’s going to happen,” he said.

In his UN speech Friday, the prime minister rejected the idea of a Palestinian state, saying, “Giving the Palestinians a state one mile from Jerusalem after October 7 is like giving al-Qaeda a state one mile from New York City after September 11. This is sheer madness, it is insane, and we won’t do it.”

Another contentious point for many Israelis is a proposed international security coordination framework for Gaza that includes moderate Arab countries and the U.S. Netanyahu has said that only Israel can be in charge of security at the Gaza borders.

The Tikva Forum of Hostage Families said Sunday that the IDF must maintain a constant presence along the Philadelphi Corridor and at the Rafah crossing to prevent arms smuggling.

As in Lebanon today, the group said, the IDF must also have full freedom of action to enter Gaza to preemptively stop terror activity.

According to a Ynet report Sunday, Netanyahu also called the clause on Hamas’ disarmament “absurd” and insufficient, as is the definition of the “offensive weapons” that must be dismantled.

The Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported Saturday that Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Jordan also disagree on certain points and have proposed amendments.

These include a demand for Hamas to lay down its arms rather than dismantle all military capabilities and that, while management of Gaza should remain in “technocratic” Palestinian hands, the PA should play a role from the start.

Also, they say, an international council would “oversee” the process rather than directly manage government services.

The Arab countries have also suggested deploying international forces along the borders instead of granting Israel sole control.