Jerusalem applauds President Donald Trump and his “tireless and devoted team,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Tuesday morning following the United Nations Security Council’s endorsement of Washington’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza.
“The courage and sacrifice of our brave soldiers, along with President Trump’s diplomatic efforts, helped bring home all of the living hostages and most of the deceased ones,” the prime minister tweeted in English.
The Jewish state is convinced that Trump’s peace plan “will lead to peace and prosperity because it insists upon full demilitarization, disarmament and the deradicalization of Gaza,” he continued.
The resolution “will lead to further integration of Israel and its neighbors,” as well as the possible expansion of the Abraham Accords with Arab and Muslim nations, said Netanyahu.
Jerusalem continues to demand that the remaining three hostage bodies held by Hamas be returned for burial “with no delay,” so that the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, which includes the terror organization being disarmed and the Strip being demilitarized, can start, he added.
“Israel extends its hand in peace and prosperity to all of our neighbors and calls on them to normalize relations with Israel and join us in expelling Hamas and its supporters from the region,” said the premier.
The Security Council on Monday adopted a U.S.-drafted resolution on the future of Gaza with a 13-0 vote, as Russia and China abstained.
The resolution establishes a mandate for Washington and its partners to create and deploy an International Stabilization Force, as well as what Trump has called a Board of Peace—a transitional authority he leads.
There is little clarity as to whether the International Stabilization Force, or another entity, will be charged with demilitarizing Hamas should the terrorist group fail to disarm under the peace plan.
“This will go down as one of the biggest approvals in the history of the United Nations, will lead to further peace all over the world and is a moment of true historic proportion,” Trump said on Truth Social.
“The demilitarization of Hamas is a basic condition of the peace agreement,” stated Danny Danon, the Israeli envoy to the United Nations, after the vote. “There will be no future in Gaza as long as Hamas possesses weapons.”
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir on Sunday vowed to disarm Hamas “either through an agreement or through military means.”
“We will continue to insist that the Hamas regime will not exist on the other side of the border. Even if this requires time, we will persist in the mission of dismantling Hamas and demilitarizing the Gaza Strip,” he stated, speaking during a visit to Gaza’s Rafah area, which remains under military control in accordance with the ceasefire’s terms.
Also on Sunday, Netanyahu reiterated Israel’s commitment to removing the terrorist threat in Gaza, saying: “That area will be demilitarized and Hamas will be disarmed. Either this will happen the easy way or it will happen the hard way. I said this, and President Trump also said this.”
