Confusion: There was not much detail in Trump’s remarks.
He did not say: 1. if he was advocating for trashing the decades-old US policy of seeking a two-state solution for Palestine, 2. if he was suggesting a temporary ethnic cleansing of Gaza, 3. or how his idea sat within the painstakingly negotiated three-phase ceasefire agreement.
Reporting from The Times and other outlets has suggested that: 1. large parts of Trump’s announcement appear to have been made without the prior consultation of aides or allies, 2. accounting for much of the international backlash from states unaware of his proposals, 3. and the swift caveating of the President’s plan by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt, who clarified that: 1. the president’s proposals were temporary 2. and did not represent a US military commitment to Gaza.
former Israeli ambassador and government adviser Alon Pinkas said to Al Jazeera: “Let’s say we take Trump seriously,” “Israel has to commit to the deal and see it through to at least the second phase [when the population transfer might take place]
“Now, say we don’t? 1. Hamas still has no incentive to stay with the ceasefire. 2. They and everyone else in Gaza, all 2.3 million, will be kicked out anyway. 3. Where’s their motivation to keep with the ceasefire agreement?
