On the table is a proposal for a complete Israeli hostage release within three days of Israel publicly accepting the agreement, followed by a release of Palestinian prisoners. Humanitarian aid would start to flood back into Gaza, and Israel would withdraw in stages to a security perimeter.
Beyond ending the war, the plan charts a path forward, albeit in hedged language, that marks a reversal of a Trump’s recent refusal to discuss a political endgame for Israelis and Palestinians.
Running counter to of a Netanyahu’s stark refusal to accept a Palestinian state, but in concert with a clear demand from Arab allies, the proposal calls for an opening “a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, which we recognize as the aspiration of the Palestinian people.”
The plan is even more definitive against the displacement of Gazans – a complete pivot from Trump’s February “Gaza Riviera" proposal and another sign that the United States paid attention to the priorities of other countries in the region.
The president stated Netanyahu had accepted the plan; however, the prime minister’s response essentially was: “Yes, but ...”
Netanyahu said the proposal was fully consistent with Israel retaining security responsibility, including a guarded perimeter, “for the foreseeable future,” and a future Gaza civilian administration run by neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Netanyahu's conditions seem to be at odds with a plan that otherwise nods to a two-state solution and assumption of PA control.
In consultation with the Israeli delegation, these conditions allowed Israel to get to a qualified "yes," while likely making it harder to get Hamas to do the same.
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