President Donald Trump unveiled a new peace plan Monday to end Israel’s siege on Gaza and, while the plan had initially received buy-in from top Arab leaders, last-minute changes made just moments before its unveiling have infuriated Arab officials, according to a report Tuesday from Axios.
Trump’s 20-point peace plan was developed over several weeks, and in conjunction with top Arab leaders such as those from Qatar, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. However, during Trump’s meeting Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, last-minute changes were introduced to the plan, and at the behest of Netanyahu, changes that very well could compromise its initial support among Arab leaders.
“Netanyahu managed to negotiate several edits into the text, in particular on the conditions and timetable for Israel's withdrawal from Gaza,” wrote Axios reporter Barak Ravid, an Israeli journalist who spoke with multiple Arab officials on the condition of anonymity.
“Officials from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Turkey were furious over the changes, according to sources with knowledge. The Qataris even tried to convince the Trump administration not to release the detailed plan on Monday due to those objections. The White House released it anyway, and pushed the Arab and Muslim countries to support the plan.”
Under Trump’s peace plan, Hamas would return all of the remaining Israeli hostages – 20 believed to be living of 48 total – and in return, Israel would begin a phased withdrawal of its military occupation, as well as release 250 Palestinians currently serving life sentences, and 1,700 who were detained after Oct. 7, 2023. Israel currently holds an estimated 9,500 Palestinians, and around 3,660 of them without criminal charge.
However, Israel would reserve the right to “finish the job” should they find Hamas to be in violation of the agreement, which Trump said on Monday would receive the United States’ “full backing.”
Even with the last-minute changes, a “senior Arab official” told Axios that the plan “still has a lot of very positive elements for Palestinians,” and may very well bring about an end to the hostilities that have claimed the lives of some 1,200 Israelis, and an estimated 61,000 Palestinians, though some estimates put the Palestinian death toll as high as 680,000, which would amount to 30% of Gaza’s population prior to Oct. 7, 2023.