Report: US mulling gradual 2-year disarmament process for Hamas

Israel is concerned the Trump administration may be prepared to endorse plans from Turkey and Qatar to allow for a gradual two-year disarming of Hamas – a move Israel fears would enable the terror group to ultimately retain its arsenal.

By World Israel News Staff

The Trump administration is considering proposals submitted by its Muslim allies to give Hamas two years to disarm, while still moving forward with the second phase of the Gaza peace plan, Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Monday.

The Hebrew daily cited Israeli officials who expressed dismay at the prospect of the US adopting the same model for disarmament used to demilitarize the Irish Republican Army in Northern Ireland, under which the IRA was given two years to fulfill its obligations under the Good Friday Agreement, also known as the Belfast Agreement.

Brokered in 1998 following a ceasefire a year earlier, the Belfast Agreement mandated that paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland disarm, a process referred to as “decommissioning.” Under the terms negotiated, the IRA and other paramilitary forces were given until May 2000 to hand over their weapons.

Turkey and Qatar have proposed that the second phase of the Gaza peace plan mirror the Belfast Agreement, giving Hamas two years to disarm.

In addition, the Qatari-Turkish plan would not necessarily require Hamas to hand over its weapons but would instead mandate “decommissioning” of the weapons.

Israeli officials cited in Monday’s reported said that they feared the US appears to be backing the proposal pushed by Doha and Ankara, adding that should the Trump administration embrace the Belfast Agreement model, Hamas would likely be able to use the slow disarmament process as a smokescreen, while retaining at least some of its weapons.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to raise Israel’s concerns with the coalescing plans for implementation of the second phase of the Gaza deal when the two leaders meet in Florida on December 29th.