Hamas remains the central obstacle to finalizing a peace plan between Israel and the Palestinians under President Donald Trump’s initiative, former Trump foreign policy adviser Walid Phares told Newsmax on Sunday.
“Everybody knows it’s Hamas, but it’s about also appreciating and supporting the Trump Plan, 20-point plan,” Phares told Newsmax’s “Wake Up America Weekend.” “That plan starts with number one, of course, a ceasefire to be able to execute the plan. But after that, it’s the release of all hostages. These are the cards that Hamas has. So if all these hostages are released, what would Hamas have in their own hands? Nothing.”
Phares said the Trump blueprint is structured around three clear stages: ending hostilities, releasing hostages, and disarming Hamas.
“When they start talking about a conference with months and months of talks to decide what is the future, that already contradicts the Trump Plan, because the Trump Plan is very clear,” said Phares.
However, Hamas is not speaking about disarming at this point, but is attempting to reshape negotiations to secure its political survival, said Phares, who also pointed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s stark warning against letting Hamas remain entrenched.
“It’s really the intention of Hamas and their backers,” he said. “They want to survive this peace plan. They will give a little bit. They will release hostages. But they know if they release hostages … then Israel can have multiple ways of dealing with Hamas after that. What stops Israel, basically, is the fact that Hamas has hostages.”
He added that Hamas aims to prolong its presence until U.S. elections shift political dynamics.
Switching to the conflict in Ukraine, Phares said Russia has ignored opportunities for peace with the U.S. under Trump’s leadership.
“For Russia, they had the opportunity to have an American president who actually wants peace with Russia, who actually wants even cooperation, including industrial, including economic,” he said. “I mean, what else do they want to achieve in Ukraine? They have reached and covered, seized the areas they historically said … are Russian, Russian speakers. It is time, really, for them to sit down at the table of negotiation.”
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