Will Netanyahu be convinced? The Kushner-Witkoff formula for disarming Hamas
The Americans are proposing to neutralize the weapons at the moment of handover, including by removing critical parts or melting them down completely. Israel demands that the weapons be removed from the Gaza Strip and handed over to a non-Arab entity. Simultaneously, the Peace Council is pushing to begin the process for fear that Hamas's agreement to surrender the weapons might be rescinded.
Peace Council CEO Nickolay Mladenov and American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are trying to find a formula that will convince Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to at least begin implementing the plan to disarm Hamas.
According to a source involved in the contacts, the Americans have presented several proposals to Israel. One of them is that the weapons to be handed over will be neutralized at the moment of handover by various means, including the removal of critical parts from the weapons — for example, the firing pins from Kalashnikov rifles and pistols.
Another proposal that has been raised is to melt the weapons down completely. To this end, options have already been raised for bringing in the equipment and machinery required to handle the volumes of weapons that would be transferred. This mainly concerns rifles, machine guns, mortars, and small rocket launchers.
Who will hold the weapons — and what will Israel give in return
On the other hand, the Israeli demand is to remove the weapons completely from the Gaza Strip and hand them over to an entity that Israel trusts to hold them. From Israel's perspective, this does not include any Arab entity.
Those involved in the matter on behalf of the Peace Council are seeking to bring about the start of the process, thinking that once it begins, the parties will not want to stop it and be perceived as those who refuse to continue its implementation. In addition, they are operating under the assumption that Hamas's agreement to surrender the weapons, which is defined as a significant achievement, could be rescinded if the process does not begin.
However, the demand for Israel to withdraw to the 'yellow line' as a first step to initiate the process is unacceptable in Jerusalem. Nevertheless, the IDF is also preparing for the possibility of receiving an order to withdraw to the 'yellow line' if a formula is reached that Israel agrees to accept.
Earlier today, Benjamin Netanyahu clarified that Israel rejects the '15-point document' and that the IDF will not withdraw in the Gaza Strip until Hamas is fully disarmed.
'When I say disarming Hamas, it means heavy weapons, less heavy weapons, all the weapons. We are talking about real disarmament, not fictitious disarmament,' he said.
Netanyahu confirmed that talks are being held with the American administration on the subject.
'We are now talking to the Americans about this issue. They have ideas, some of them are acceptable to us and some are not acceptable to us, and we know how to stand up to these things,' he said.
Furthermore, the Prime Minister clarified that the IDF will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed — a position that stands at the center of the current dispute.
