Hamas calls plan biased with impossible terms, but may review in good faith and give response
\n Washington
\nPresident Donald Trump secured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s backing on Monday for a US -sponsored peace proposal to end a nearly two-year-old war in Gaza, but questions loomed over whether Hamas would accept the plan.
\nSpeaking at a joint White House press conference following a meeting with Netanyahu, Trump said they were \u201cbeyond very close\u201d to an elusive peace deal for the Palestinian enclave. But he warned the Islamist group Hamas that Israel would have full US support to take whatever action it deemed necessary if the militants reject what he has offered.
\nThe White House released a 20-point document that called for an immediate ceasefire, an exchange of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, a staged Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, Hamas disarmament and a transitional government led by an international body.
\nTrump went into Monday\u2019s meeting seeking to overcome Netanyahu\u2019s misgivings over parts of the plan. It was not immediately clear whether the Trump administration and Israel had resolved all their differences, including over the possibility of a future Palestinian State, which Netanyahu has forcefully rejected, and any role for the Palestinian Authority in post-war governance of the enclave.
\nHamas response
\nHowever, Hamas remained the key to whether Trump\u2019s peace proposals get off the ground and was not involved in the negotiations.
\nThe group\u2019s absence from negotiations and its previous repeated refusals to disarm raised doubts about the plan\u2019s viability and still holds 48 hostages, 20 of them still alive, Israel says.
\nA source close to Hamas told Reuters the plan was \u201ccompletely biased to Israel\u201d and imposed \u201cimpossible conditions\u201d that aimed to eliminate the group.
\nHowever, an official briefed on the talks told Reuters early on Tuesday that Hamas negotiators \u201cwould review it in good faith and provide a response\u201d.
\nHamas faces pressure
\nTrump warned Hamas that if it rejected his offer, Israel would have full US support to take whatever action it deemed necessary.
\nThe plan specifies an immediate ceasefire, an exchange of all hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, a staged Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas and the introduction of a transitional government led by an international body.
\nOne of Hamas\u2019s main conditions since the outset of the war has been a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in return for the release of the remaining hostages. And while the group has indicated its readiness to relinquish administrative authority, it has consistently ruled out disarming.
\n\u201cWhat Trump has proposed is the full adoption of all Israeli conditions, which do not grant the Palestinian people or the residents of the Gaza Strip any legitimate rights,\u201d a Palestinian official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters.
\nHowever, Hamas faces considerable pressure to accept the plan, with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Egypt all welcoming the initiative.
\nTurkey\u2019s head of intelligence will join Qatari and Egyptian mediators in Doha to discuss the peace proposal later on Tuesday, a spokesperson for Qatar\u2019s foreign ministry said. Turkey has not previously been involved as a key mediator during efforts over the last two years to bring peace to Gaza.
\nIt was unclear if Hamas officials would join Tuesday\u2019s meeting. The last time Hamas leaders gathered to discuss a US peace plan in Qatar, Israel tried, and failed, to kill them with a missile strike.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hamas calls plan biased with impossible terms, but may review in good faith and give response Washington President Donald Trump secured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s backing on Monday for a US -sponsored peace proposal to end a nearly two-year-old war in Gaza, but questions loomed over whether Hamas would accept the plan. Speaking at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":506029,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-506009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n