Israel Agrees To U.S. Plan For ‘Eternal Peace In The Middle East’ At White House
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has formally agreed to a U.S.-backed framework aimed at ending the war in Gaza and laying what the Trump administration calls “a credible pathway” to a Palestinian state.
The announcement came just before President Donald Trump and Netanyahu held a joint press conference at the White House on Monday. Rolling out the 20-point framework, Trump declared that Israel had signed on to the deal and said the agreement represented nothing short of “peace in the Middle East.”
“Today is a historic day for peace,” Trump said in his opening remarks. “Prime Minister Netanyahu and I have just concluded an important meeting on many vital issues, including Iran, trade, the expansion of the Abraham Accords, and most importantly, how to end the war in Gaza. I want to thank Prime Minister Netanyahu for agreeing to the plan and for trusting that if we work together, we can end the death and destruction we’ve seen for so many years.”
Trump said the proposal had already secured backing from several Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Turkey, and Egypt. Under the framework, those countries would take the lead in demilitarizing Gaza, dismantling Hamas’ infrastructure, and ensuring other terror groups are permanently disarmed.
“Arab and Muslim countries have committed to act quickly,” Trump said. “They’ve agreed to decommission the military capabilities of Hamas and other terror organizations. And I’m hearing Hamas wants this done too.”
The one major holdout is Hamas itself. Trump noted that if Hamas refuses to sign on, Israel would still have America’s unconditional support to continue military operations. “If Hamas rejects the deal, which is always possible, then Israel has our full backing to do what it must,” he said. “But I have a feeling we’re going to have a positive answer.”
Netanyahu, while voicing reservations about the prospect of a Palestinian state following the October 7 attacks, praised the plan as an opportunity to meet Israel’s war aims and advance broader peace. On that day, roughly 3,000 Hamas fighters and thousands of Gazans poured into Israel, murdering, raping, and kidnapping hundreds of civilians and soldiers.
“I believe today we are taking a critical step toward both ending the war in Gaza and dramatically advancing peace in the Middle East,” Netanyahu said.
If carried out as intended, the plan would accomplish Israel’s central objectives: the return of all hostages, both living and dead; the complete demilitarization of Gaza; and the total dismantling of Hamas as an organization.
“If Hamas rejects your plan, Mr. President, or if they claim to accept it but act in bad faith, Israel will finish the job by itself,” Netanyahu said. “This can be done the easy way, or it can be done the hard way. But it will be done.”