In posts on his social networking site Truth Social, Trump also announced the official start of the second phase of the peace plan he announced for the Gaza Strip. As president of the Peace Council, he supported the new local authorities in the enclave – the National Committee for the Administration of the Gaza Strip, which is formed by – as he put it – “Palestinian technocrats”.
Who heads the Gaza Peace Council?
What are the goals of the newly established Peace Council?
Who will be the representative of the body in Gaza?
When will Trump announce details of the peace plan?
“These Palestinian leaders are steadfastly committed to a PEACEFUL future!” Trump assured.
The US president also announced that he would soon fully disarm Hamas, which is a key element of the second phase of his 20-point plan.
Donald Trump heads the Gaza Peace Council. Its composition is a secret
“With the support of Egypt, Turkey and Qatar, we will secure a COMPREHENSIVE demilitarization agreement with Hamas, including surrendering ALL weapons and dismantling EVERY tunnel. Hamas must fulfill its obligations IMMEDIATELY,” Trump said.
“As I said, they can do it the easy way or the hard way. The people of Gaza have suffered long enough. The time has come,” wrote the US president.
Despite his declaration of forming a Peace Council, Trump did not provide the names of the people who would sit on it. He previously announced that its ranks would include, among others: former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, considered the original originator of the plan and the Council itself. It was previously announced that Bulgarian diplomat Nikolai Mladenov would be the representative of the body on site.
During a press conference call on Wednesday, two key U.S. officials assured that moving to the second phase of Trump's peace plan “is a great achievement.” However, they did not provide details about its key elements, including the creation of the International Stabilization Force with the participation of troops from Muslim countries. They also admitted that the Israeli authorities are skeptical about the likelihood of disarming Hamas.
White House officials said Trump would announce those details within two weeks. The US president is also expected to provide additional information on this subject during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, which will be held on January 19-23.
