Talks to advance President Donald Trump’s plan to end the Gaza war have been on pause since last week when the US and Israel simultaneously attacked Iran, sparking a broader Middle East war, three sources with direct knowledge of the conversations said. Trump’s main Middle East peace plan, which he has positioned as a key foreign policy goal, might be delayed by the hiatus. It comes less than a month after Netanyahu obtained billions of dollars in commitments for Gaza from Gulf Arab states – countries who are now facing Iranian bombardment as the conflict intensifies.
Whether Hamas fighters will surrender their weapons in exchange for amnesty—a move meant to open the door for reconstruction and additional Israeli military withdrawals—has been a key component of Trump’s Gaza proposal. Regarding the disarmament issue, White House negotiators have been acting as a go-between for Israel and Hamas. On Sunday, International Women’s Day, during the holy month of Ramadan in Gaza City, displaced Palestinian women use a wood burner to start preparing for Iftar after the daylong fast is broken. AFP
According to the three sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss delicate negotiations, negotiations on these and other matters were put on hold when the Iran conflict started on February 28. There have been no prior reports of a halt to disarmament negotiations. “Disarmament talks are ongoing and positive,” a White House official said, denying that there had been a halt in the negotiations. The mediators all concur that this is an essential step in allowing the Gaza population to rebuild.
However, according to Zaha Hassan of the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, nations like Qatar and the United Arab Emirates that promised money for Trump’s Board of Peace mission would now be wondering if this is “really money well spent now that they are dodging rocket fire.”
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