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Trump hails ‘end’ of war, despite Israeli government not yet approving ceasefire deal
The US president has hailed an agreement between Hamas and Israel on a first phase of a ceasefire agreement, saying his administration “ended the war”.
The statement comes despite the Israeli government not yet approving the deal, surrounding which several questions remain.
“As you know, last night, we reached a momentous breakthrough in the Middle East, something that people said was never going to be done,” Trump said at a cabinet meeting.
“We ended the war and … on a much bigger basis, created peace, and I think it’s going to be a lasting peace, hopefully an everlasting peace,” he said.
He added captives should be released “Monday or Tuesday”.
Trump says ceasefire deal will do ‘wonders for Gaza’
While details of the first phase of a ceasefire deal, preliminarily approved by Israel and Hamas, are still unclear, US President Donald Trump has said it will eventually spell massive reconstruction for Gaza.
“You have tremendous wealth and that part of the world by certain countries, and just a small part of that, what they make, will do wonders for Gaza,” Trump said, without giving details of a specific reconstruction plan.
“I think you’re going to see some tremendous countries stepping up and putting up a lot of money and taking care of things,” he said.
Trump says he does not ‘have a view’ on two-state solution
The US president has said he does not have a view on a potential two-state solution for Israel and Palestine.
“I don’t have a view. I’m gonna go with what they agree to,” Trump said, referring to the ongoing ceasefire negotiations.
In the past, the Trump administration has repeatedly rejected recognising a Palestinian state.
Trump says ‘nobody will be forced to leave’ Gaza
The US president had previously floated plans to forcibly displace the residents of Gaza.
But he has maintained that under the current framework, the first phase of which has been agreed to by Israel and Hamas, no Palestinians will be forced to leave.
“Nobody is going to be forced to leave,” he said during a meeting with the president of Finland.
Trump’s plan treats Palestinians ‘as objects’, not political actors
Khaled Elgindy, an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, says Trump’s plan is “very skewed towards Israeli interests and demands and concerns”.
“There were no Palestinians that were consulted – and it shows,” Elgindy told Al Jazeera, noting that beyond ending Israel’s assault on Gaza, “there really isn’t a lot there for Palestinians in terms of a political horizon”.
“It talks about Palestinians as objects to be acted upon, and not a party to be worked with or as shapers of their own future,” he said.
Elgindy added that, despite that, there is room for Palestinians to shape what happens next. “Nothing that is in this plan is predetermined or divinely ordained,” he said.
“I think that if Palestinians act in a unified way … while coordinating with the Arab states, they can shape events and outcomes differently than what is laid out in the specifics of this plan. But that will require a degree of Palestinian unity that currently doesn’t exist – but maybe this might spur that.”
