Trump Presses to Complete the Gaza Peace Plan
* Trump is pressing for key decisions and announcements that he believes will counter a perception that his Gaza peace plan is failing. * Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will likely continue to resist U.S. pressure to withdraw from additional areas of Gaza when he meets with Trump at Mar-a-Lago at the end of the month. * U.S. officials assess that extensive U.S. involvement in implementing the peace plan will give regional leaders the confidence to provide personnel to the International Stabilization Force (ISF), which is to secure post-war Gaza. * To encourage regional and global leaders to contribute forces to the ISF, Trump plans to appoint a senior U.S. military leader as the force's nominal commander, and the U.S. military will hold a conference on Tuesday to brief potential donor countries on the scope of the ISF’s mission. It has been two months since President Donald Trump and regional leaders signed his 20 Point Plan for Gaza peace in Sharm el-Sheikh, and one month since the plan was endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2803. But implementation has not advanced beyond its “Phase One” provisions — a release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, a ceasefire, and a partial Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire remains relatively intact since it took effect on October 10, although regional officials have cited U.S. officials for “green-lighting” — or at least overlooking — continued Israeli attacks on Hamas militants throughout the enclave. On Saturday, an Israeli strike killed a senior...
Click here to continue reading
