Almost Heaven
Well-known
US President Donald J. Trump's plan for ending the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip is not a "peace plan." In the eyes of Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups, the plan is nothing but another temporary ceasefire, not different than previous ones reached between Israel and Hamas over the past two decades.
It is a mistake even to call it a "peace plan": Hamas has not yet abandoned its stated goal of destroying Israel and replacing it with an Islamist state.
Hamas, moreover, has never -- to this day -- recognized Israel's right to exist. Instead, Hamas continues to hold onto the idea that:
Hamas, after suffering heavy casualties in the war it initiated on October 7, 2023, was desperate for a pause in the fighting. In Hamas's attack that day, more than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were murdered and thousands wounded. Hamas terrorists and "ordinary" Palestinians kidnapped another 251 Israelis and foreign nationals and secreted them to underground tunnels in Gaza, where the remains of two are still held.
Despite the death and destruction Hamas has brought on the Palestinians from its reckless decision to invade Israel, the terror group seems determined to thwart the implementation of the remaining phases of Trump's plan, especially in establishing an international transitional governing body and deploying an international security force in the Gaza Strip.
To understand the mindset and intentions of Hamas, it is crucial that one pay attention to what the terror group says in Arabic, not what some of its leaders tell US envoys in meetings behind closed doors.
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It is a mistake even to call it a "peace plan": Hamas has not yet abandoned its stated goal of destroying Israel and replacing it with an Islamist state.
Hamas, moreover, has never -- to this day -- recognized Israel's right to exist. Instead, Hamas continues to hold onto the idea that:
Those who think that Hamas, by agreeing to Trump's "peace plan," has abandoned its desire to eliminate Israel or has softened its position toward Israel are unfortunately dead wrong.
Hamas, after suffering heavy casualties in the war it initiated on October 7, 2023, was desperate for a pause in the fighting. In Hamas's attack that day, more than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were murdered and thousands wounded. Hamas terrorists and "ordinary" Palestinians kidnapped another 251 Israelis and foreign nationals and secreted them to underground tunnels in Gaza, where the remains of two are still held.
Despite the death and destruction Hamas has brought on the Palestinians from its reckless decision to invade Israel, the terror group seems determined to thwart the implementation of the remaining phases of Trump's plan, especially in establishing an international transitional governing body and deploying an international security force in the Gaza Strip.
To understand the mindset and intentions of Hamas, it is crucial that one pay attention to what the terror group says in Arabic, not what some of its leaders tell US envoys in meetings behind closed doors.
Why Trump's Gaza Plan is Not a Peace Deal
In the eyes of Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups, the plan is nothing but another temporary ceasefire, not different than previous ones reached between Israel and Hamas over the past two decades. Those who think that Hamas, by agreeing to Trump's
