Hamas is trying to renegotiate the plans for ending the conflict. But as long as the U.S. president doesn’t budge on the terms he laid down, then Israel and decency will win.
It’s all up to President Donald Trump. That is the only way to characterize the situation facing Israel’s government as it seeks to implement the terms of the plan that the White House has set down for ending the war in the Gaza Strip. If the president sticks to the plan that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to in Washington last week, then the remaining hostages held by Hamas will soon be freed, and the terrorists will disarm and relinquish control of every part of the Strip.
That is what he says he will do. He has made it clear that Hamas must agree to the same terms the Israelis signed off on or face “complete obliteration” if it tries to cling to their weapons and power in Gaza. Decent people who hope for a world rid of Islamist murderers like those of Hamas must pray that he sticks to his word.
It’s also true that a lot of people who hate Israel will be happy if he lets Hamas wriggle off the hook. And it’s far from impossible to imagine scenarios like that happening. If he is so eager for the plaudits due to a peacemaker, or if he is willing to listen to or be influenced by malign actors in the Middle East like Qatar, Turkey, and other Muslim and Arab states—or domestic right-wing antisemites like far-right political commentator Tucker Carlson—then it is possible that he will let Hamas wriggle out of the trap they have set for themselves. (Read More)
