Board of Peace official: Gaza roadmap faces long, difficult process

Key facts

• The 'Board of Peace', a US-backed initiative proposed by Donald Trump, has revised its conditions for an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
• The revised terms require the complete disarmament of Hamas before any Israeli withdrawal beyond the Yellow Line.
• This represents a shift from an earlier proposal that linked phased Israeli withdrawals to gradual disarmament.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israeli forces are not withdrawing from Gaza until Hamas is completely disarmed.
• Netanyahu indicated that Israel had not agreed to the board's draft proposal and had submitted its own responses.

The US-backed 'Board of Peace' initiative, proposed by Donald Trump, has significantly altered its conditions for an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, now demanding the complete disarmament of Hamas before any Israeli forces move beyond the established Yellow Line. This revised stance aligns more closely with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's demands, diverging from an earlier proposal that suggested a phased withdrawal alongside gradual disarmament.

According to reports, Israel currently controls over 60 percent of the Gaza Strip and intends to increase its control to approximately 70 percent. The board's initial proposal had tied phased Israeli withdrawals to the gradual decommissioning of Palestinian weapons. However, the word 'full' was reportedly removed from the statement concerning the IDF withdrawal shortly after its initial release, signaling a position more in line with Netanyahu's insistence that Israel would not withdraw until Hamas was fully disarmed.

This revision contradicts earlier statements by the board's high representative, Nickolay Mladenov, who had emphasized that withdrawal must occur in tandem with decommissioning. Hamas had reportedly accepted the original sequence. Netanyahu reportedly informed Mladenov that Israel would not cease its attacks or withdraw from the Yellow Line, and further Israeli demands included assurances of the right to attack Gaza even after Hamas disarmament and objections to Turkish and Qatari involvement in monitoring disarmament.

Netanyahu stated that Israel had not agreed to the draft proposal and had sent its responses, which were submitted before the issue gained media attention. He was quoted as saying that Trump and his team believe Hamas can be totally disarmed and Gaza demilitarized, and that Israel is looking into this possibility.