PNN – On the sidelines of Donald Trump’s presence in the region, a new plan called the UAE-Saudi Arabia initiative, with the support of the US President, is being considered to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip before the end of his visit to the region.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, the Yisrael Hayom newspaper reported in a report citing informed sources that Trump is advancing a plan known as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia initiative to end the war in the Gaza Strip.
Informed sources announced that the plan includes the release of prisoners, the disarmament of Hamas, the withdrawal of Israel, and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip under international supervision.
A senior official from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) described the initiative as aimed at ending the war in Gaza, which also includes the general frameworks of a comprehensive regional compromise.
Behind the scenes, extensive negotiations are currently underway with Israel and other parties with a goal that is very important to Trump, as he wants a ceasefire to be achieved before the end of his trip to the region.
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Another part of the report states that information is also being disseminated in Israel that if a ceasefire is achieved, the US President will also meet with Netanyahu; this is despite the fact that the ceasefire issue was the main agenda of the talks between US Special Envoy Witkoff and the Israeli Prime Minister, and the Israeli delegation sent to Doha also discussed the issue.
The outlines of this plan had been on the negotiating table for several months, but Trump’s election and his decision to make his first presidential trip to the Persian Gulf region accelerated it, and a series of calls and consultations were held in this regard.
Several drafts have already been exchanged between the relevant parties, while those involved, including a diplomat from the Gulf Cooperation Council, describe it as an initiative to achieve the Nobel Peace Prize.
This initiative was put forward by Israel’s biggest friend in the Persian Gulf region, the United Arab Emirates, and is being pursued by UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed and his brother, Foreign Minister Abdullah.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has also joined this initiative and put all his weight behind it, and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan explained its general framework about a month ago in Washington.
According to Israel Hayom, the partnership between these two countries could be very important for Tel Aviv because, unlike Qatar and Egypt, these two countries are more in line with Israel’s demands.
According to the Hebrew-language media outlet, the details of the proposed agreement are as follows:
- The ceasefire begins immediately, according to the Witkoff plan, within a few short days half of the prisoners are released, and negotiations begin regarding a complete end to the war.
- During the negotiations, Hamas will release all Israeli prisoners and hand over all bodies. In return, Israel will release Palestinian prisoners within the framework of an agreement that has already been implemented, and humanitarian aid will resume arriving in the Gaza Strip.
- Israel will completely end its military operations in the Gaza Strip, and after a transition period and receiving security guarantees, it will withdraw behind the (previous) borders.
- Hamas will surrender all its weapons to an Arab side, from rockets to light weapons, and the high-ranking military leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad and the rest of the resistance groups will leave the Gaza Strip.
- Residential camps will be established for the temporary settlement of Gaza residents, and the possibility of leaving the Gaza Strip will be provided, with priority given to the sick and injured.
- Once the war is declared over, the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip will begin, with management of this task entrusted to an Arab-American committee.
- The PA will announce its agreement to the plan, but will enter into this process after making fundamental reforms to its structure, a process that will take about 10 years.
- The issue of maintaining security and preventing renewed attacks against Israel will be implemented in several stages and in a staggered manner. First, an international, Arab, and Palestinian force will assume responsibility for this matter and, in parallel; disarm Hamas, while allowing the return of some of the security forces active in the Hamas-led police to this structure.
Within the framework of the proposed reforms, the Emiratis are insistent on changing the Palestinian education system for real change and purifying it of anti-Israeli discourse, something that has already been done in the Saudi education system and is to be directly undertaken by Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.
However, this initiative also faces problems and challenges.
According to Israel Hume, there are those within the US government who want to implement the solution known as the Trump Plan of 2020, which calls for the gradual establishment of a Palestinian state on 70 percent of the West Bank and recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the remaining 30 percent.
But this plan faces opposition from Saudi Arabia and most Arab countries, who emphasize the Saudi initiative to establish a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders.