President Donald Trump warned in Davos on Wednesday that Hamas “will be blown away very quickly” if it fails to disarm under the second phase of his Gaza peace plan.
Speaking at a question-and-answer session with former Norwegian foreign minister Børge Brende following his special address to the World Economic Forum, Trump said Hamas had “agreed to give up their weapons” as part of his 20-point Gaza initiative, which has entered a second phase focused on demilitarization and technocratic governance.
“They were born with a weapon in their hands. When they were born, they were born with a rifle in their hand. It’s not an easy thing for them, but that’s what they agreed to,” he said.
Trump said it would become clear “over the next two or three days, certainly over the next three weeks” whether the terrorist group would follow through on disarmament, calling it a condition for Gaza’s reconstruction and the deployment of an international stabilization force under a Trump-chaired Board of Peace.
“If they don’t do it, they’ll be blown away very quickly. They’ll be blown away,” he said, reiterating his assertion that dozens of countries back the deal and “want to come in and take out Hamas” if the terrorist group reneges.
A signing ceremony for the Board of Peace will reportedly be held on the sidelines of the WEF’s 56th annual meeting on Thursday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is among the some 50 leaders invited to join the board.
