Trump Urges Netanyahu to Advance Gaza Peace Plan, Axios Reports

The White House is pressing to revive a Gaza agreement held up for months by Israeli domestic politics, according to a Nov. 8 report by Axios journalist Barak Ravid, citing two sources familiar with the matter.

Post-Election Push

President Donald Trump told Benjamin Netanyahu in a Thursday phone call to take steps toward implementing the plan following Israel’s Oct. 27 election, Axios reported.

Washington had avoided making implementation a contentious campaign issue. With the vote over, Trump wants the process to proceed whether Netanyahu or his opponents assemble the next government, according to the report.

The proposal calls for Hamas to disarm, Gaza to be demilitarized and governing authority to pass to a Palestinian technocratic administration. None of those objectives should be read as completed steps.

“The implementation will be difficult but we believe it is a good plan for Israel. Nevertheless we can’t do it with one hand tied behind our back,” a U.S. official told Axios.

“We want to move forward collaboratively and we need full cooperation and partnership from the Israeli government,” the official said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Jared Kushner and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff also joined the call. One source said Netanyahu requested the conversation and described it as constructive; the leaders also briefly discussed the war in Iran.

The White House and the Israeli prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to Axios’ requests for comment.

Disarmament Remains Unresolved

According to Axios, Trump’s Board of Peace reached a July agreement with Hamas on a 15-point framework covering the disarmament of armed groups and the handover of civilian and security responsibilities to a Palestinian technocratic government.

Clash Report previously covered the Board of Peace agreement on Hamas disarmament and Israeli withdrawal, as well as Netanyahu’s rejection of the proposal.

Netanyahu’s government has largely resisted advancing the framework for domestic political reasons, Axios reported. He remains deeply doubtful that Hamas will demilitarize and says the group is rebuilding its forces and replenishing its weapons.

Kushner told Netanyahu in August that Hamas had agreed to disarm for the first time and urged him to test that commitment, according to Axios. Clash Report has also covered Kushner’s earlier talks with Netanyahu on the peace process.

Over the past three months, the Board of Peace has worked with Israeli officials and the military on implementation details and concerns about demilitarization, Axios reported.

Reconstruction Depends on Verification

A U.S. official told Axios that implementation would be gradual, with reconstruction beginning only after progress toward Hamas disarmament had been verified.

The Board of Peace presented a six-month, $2.45 billion initial recovery program at the U.N. General Assembly in September, according to Axios. Its 66 projects require cooperation from both Israel and Hamas to proceed.

Diplomacy continued the day after the Trump-Netanyahu call. Tony Blair, the former British prime minister and a Board of Peace member, visited Israel and met Netanyahu and Gadi Eisenkot, who has been tasked with trying to form a replacement government.

A source told Axios that Blair urged Netanyahu and other Israeli political leaders to give the Gaza plan a chance.