After two years of horrific human suffering, there is finally a serious push to end Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza and prepare for the day after. It comes in the form of Donald Trump’s 20-point plan that has the support of Arab states, and crucially, Israel, after the US president met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.
The proposal has its flaws and there will understandably be scepticism of its success. Hamas, which will have to give up its arms, has yet to agree to terms that in effect call for its military surrender. There will be huge obstacles in implementing the plan. But any momentum to end the carnage in Gaza and free the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas since its dreadful October 7 2023 attack triggered the conflict should be welcomed. For this, Trump deserves credit.
The tragedy is that it has taken the president this long to leverage America’s heft and convince Netanyahu to halt Israel’s offensive, which has killed more than 65,000 people, according to Palestinian health officials. He has given Netanyahu’s far-right government carte blanche as it has broken one ceasefire; imposed a month-long full siege on Gaza that tipped parts of the strip into a famine; and escalated Israel’s offensive. Growing numbers of experts, including a UN commission, have concluded Israel is committing genocide.