The U.S.-led Board of Peace is moving toward a major change in its Gaza disarmament plan, abandoning a phased approach in favor of requiring Hamas and other terror groups to surrender all of their weapons in a single operation before Israel fully withdraws from the Gaza Strip.
Under the emerging proposal, Hamas would no longer be permitted to gradually turn over its weapons as other elements of the Gaza agreement move forward. Instead, the terror group and other armed organizations would be required to complete the disarmament process before a full IDF withdrawal takes place.
The shift reportedly follows a meeting between U.S. special envoy Jared Kushner and Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu. A Board of Peace official said the new approach would “reduce the gamble” for the countries participating in the process.
“We want complete disarmament without compromises on the issue and do not intend to allow any kinds of tricks,” the official said, describing the objective as “actual, genuine, complete and rapid disarmament.”
If Hamas refuses to surrender its weapons, the official added, “Israel will have international diplomatic backing to do it by force.”
The Kushner-Netanyahu meeting also produced an understanding that reconstruction of Gaza will not proceed unless Hamas is disarmed throughout the entire Strip.
Netanyahu reportedly insisted that the first step must be the surrender of Hamas’s weapons for destruction. Under his proposal, the arms would be turned over to Gen. Jasper Jeffers, commander of the International Stabilization Force for Gaza, with the process conducted under American supervision.
Kushner, speaking in an interview with Fox News, said Hamas had received a “firm ultimatum” to comply with the agreements it signed and relinquish its weapons. If it refuses, he said, the IDF would carry out the disarmament by force and “finish the job.”
Kushner added that a Hamas refusal to fulfill its commitments would leave Israel with substantially greater international support for renewed military action.
“Israel will have much more support from the U.S. and other countries to go finish the job properly,” he said.
Officials with the Board of Peace say the ultimate objective is now broadly agreed upon: Hamas must be completely stripped of both its weapons and governing authority, Gaza must be fully demilitarized, and only after those conditions have been fulfilled would Israel complete its withdrawal from the Strip.
{Matzav.com}
