The Times of Israel reports U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is looking to start phase two of the Hamas-Israel ceasefire sooner rather than later. The administration has created the Board of Peace, an international panel committed to keep the peace in Gaza as the region rebuilds. Commitments have been received from other countries like Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Italy to join the U.S. on the panel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would cooperate with the effort, but objects to phase two commencing before Ran Gvili is returned.
The U.S. has been in talks with Mideast mediators Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, which have assured Washington that Hamas will agree to a gradual disarmament plan that would begin with the terror group giving up its heavy weaponry and the launch of a “buy-back” program for lighter weapons, according to the US official and two Arab diplomats, who said the goal is to begin implementing the program in the coming weeks.
It was not clear whether this framework will be sufficient for Israel. Hamas officials have publicly asserted that the organization will only agree to give up its weapons in a negotiated process that results in the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Still, the Trump administration is aiming to next week unveil the Board of Peace, along with an intermediate executive committee and a Palestinian technocratic committee, the US official and two Arab diplomats said, confirming a report in the Axios news site. Washington had first planned to reveal the makeup of those bodies in mid-December but has been pushing off the announcement amid struggles to rally international support, as an October ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas has barely held.
The goal is to officially unveil the Board of Peace next week to complete initial fundraising before the panel’s first meeting at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. U.S. officials also clarified that the timeline is not set in stone and other issues like Ukraine or Venezuela may take precedence.
As the search for Gvili in Gaza continues and the goals of postwar Gaza become more defined, The Fellowship recognizes this massive international effort Israel is undertaking. We pray that the time of healing and renewal comes soon and as smoothly as possible.
