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At the end of July, the Trump administration claimed that Hamas had accepted a roadmap toward disarming. It looks highly unlikely that either Israel or Hamas will deliver on the alleged terms. The apparent flexibility shown by Hamas is likely a delaying tactic to ensure its long-term political survival, since the organization’s officials have already made it clear that it will not give up its arms before every soldier from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has left the Gaza Strip.

The so-called Gaza roadmap has little chance in succeeding because of a classic catch-22: Israel will not withdraw fully from Gaza if Hamas does not disarm, and Hamas will not disarm if Israel does not withdraw. Thus, it came as little surprise when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently rejected Trump’s Gaza peace plan. Concessions to Hamas would go down badly among right-wing voters in Israel ahead of the country’s upcoming election in October. As the endless stream of supposed “deals” with Iran demonstrates, the world has grown accustomed to U.S. President Donald Trump making grand announcements that have little basis in reality.

At the end of July, the Trump administration claimed that Hamas had accepted a roadmap toward disarming. It looks highly unlikely that either Israel or Hamas will deliver on the alleged terms. The apparent flexibility shown by Hamas is likely a delaying tactic to ensure its long-term political survival, since the organization’s officials have already made it clear that it will not give up its arms before every soldier from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has left the Gaza Strip.

The so-called Gaza roadmap has little chance in succeeding because of a classic catch-22: Israel will not withdraw fully from Gaza if Hamas does not disarm, and Hamas will not disarm if Israel does not withdraw. Thus, it came as little surprise when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently rejected Trump’s Gaza peace plan. Concessions to Hamas would go down badly among right-wing voters in Israel ahead of the country’s upcoming election in October. As the endless stream of supposed “deals” with Iran demonstrates, the world has grown accustomed to U.S. President Donald Trump making grand announcements that have little basis in reality.

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