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The most profound challenge, however, remains the path to a lasting political settlement, namely the two-state solution
President Trump must now confront the monumental task of convincing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government to accept a Palestinian state, given their longstanding, public opposition. File pic/AFP
Hamas’s conditional agreement to release all remaining Israeli hostages—both the 20 presumed alive and the remains of the dead—has opened a critical, albeit fragile, window in the protracted Gaza conflict. This response, delivered just hours before President Donald Trump’s “Sunday deadline” ultimatum, is a shrewd political manoeuvre, designed to avert the threat of “all hell” while simultaneously ensuring the fight for Palestinian rights continues at the negotiating table.
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The true intent of the armed group, which the Israeli government is now poring over, lies in the deliberate omissions and counter-proposals. Hamas’s willingness to cede control of Gaza to a body of Palestinian technocrats strongly indicates a rejection of Trump’s proposed “Board of Peace”, a new international transitional body composed of qualified Palestinians and international experts. By insisting on purely Palestinian administration backed by Arab and Islamic support, Hamas is attempting to retain national autonomy and preclude foreign, particularly American, supervision over Gaza’s future. Furthermore, the group’s silence on the central demand of Trump’s 20-point plan—disarmament—signals a firm reluctance to relinquish its military capability, ensuring the US is indeed in for yet another round of long, drawn-out negotiations. This move buys time and forces the international community to engage with Hamas on its terms for the future of Gaza and the legitimate rights of Palestinians.
The most profound challenge, however, remains the path to a lasting political settlement, namely the two-state solution. President Trump must now confront the monumental task of convincing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government to accept a Palestinian state, given their longstanding, public opposition. This is compounded by current Israeli proposals to annex parts of the West Bank, the very territory that would form the core of an independent, sovereign State of Palestine.
The significance of the West Bank cannot be overstated. Even a limited annexation would cause a direct dent to Trump’s foreign policy crown—the Abraham Accords—by driving a deeper wedge between Israel and its Arab partners. The UAE has already warned that this move would be a “red line”, threatening to undo the very agreement that enabled Arab governments to sidestep the Palestinian issue and normalise relations with Israel. With growing international support for Palestinian statehood, the pressure is mounting on Israel to end the war, but for now, the dream of peaceful coexistence remains anything but feasible, leaving Israel to face the mounting prospect of global isolation.
October 04, 2025, 17:32 IST
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