US said considering forgoing Hamas disarmament to begin reconstruction, as talks stall

The Trump administration is looking to forgo the stage in its peace plan calling for the deployment of a stabilization force to Gaza to disarm Hamas, so that it can move ahead with starting to rebuild the enclave, according to an Israeli television report Saturday. The current ceasefire, which has been in place since early October, is still only in its first phase, as talks on further steps have stalled over the details of Hamas’s demilitarization and the future governance of the Gaza Strip. However, the potential change in the White House’s direction is causing talks with Israel on Gaza’s future to “deadlock,” a source told Channel 13 news. 

An Israeli security source said that since the White House is having trouble getting commitments from third-party countries to participate in disarming Hamas, it has since begun pursuing “interim solutions, which are currently unacceptable to Israel.” “This interim situation is the worst there is,” a senior Israeli source told the outlet. “Hamas has been strengthening in recent weeks since the end of the war.” “There can be no rehabilitation before demilitarization. It is contrary to Trump’s plan. Gaza must be demilitarized,” a security official said. 

The US, which has acted as the guarantor of the agreement, is pushing a resolution to a vote at the UN Security Council on Monday, a draft of which was obtained and verified by The Times of Israel last week. The draft included the entirety of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also endorsed in a joint press conference with the president in September. (Read More)