By Nidal al-Mughrabi
CAIRO, March 27 (Reuters) – Hamas would be required to allow the destruction of its vast Gaza tunnel network as it lays down its arms in stages over eight months under a disarmament plan presented to the militants by U.S. President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace”.
The plan follows a timeline that begins with a U.S.-backed committee of Palestinian technocrats taking security control of Gaza and concludes with Israeli forces withdrawing completely upon “verification that Gaza is free of weaponry”.
Hamas’ disarmament is a critical sticking point in talks to implement Trump’s plan for Gaza and cement an October ceasefire that halted two years of full-blown war.
Hamas has long rejected calls to lay down its weapons, which are believed to have largely been transported and stored in tunnels under Gaza. Israel says it will not agree to withdraw from Gaza unless Hamas is fully disarmed first.
A Palestinian official close to the talks said the plan was “unfair”, expecting Hamas would seek some “amendments and improvements”.
The official, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the negotiations, said the plan did not provide guarantees Israel would carry out its obligations. It would risk causing the war to resume by linking reconstruction and improvements to living conditions to the political issues such as disarmament, the official said.
‘ONE AUTHORITY, ONE LAW, ONE WEAPON’
The plan’s full text, which was first reported by Al Jazeera, was shared with Reuters by two Palestinian officials involved in the talks. A Hamas official confirmed its authenticity.
The Board of Peace presented the plan to Hamas last week.
Hamas has not commented publicly on it; a Hamas official said the group was studying it. On Thursday, three other Palestinian factions, including Islamic Jihad, issued statements criticizing the plan, saying it unfairly prioritized disarmament over issues such as reconstruction and Israeli withdrawal.
The plan includes two components: a 12-point document titled “Steps to Complete the Implementation of Trump’s Comprehensive Peace Plan for Gaza,” and a five-stage timeline during which Hamas would surrender its arms over eight months.
The first component says that all armed factions in Gaza, including groups such as Islamic Jihad, will participate in a disarmament process that will be overseen by the Palestinian technocrats, known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.
“Gaza will be governed under the principle of one authority, one law, one weapon, whereby only individuals authorized by (NCAG) may possess weapons, and all armed factions will cease military activities,” the document says.
The disarmament process will be “verified by the Weapons Collection Verification Committee,” a body that will be set up by Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace’s lead envoy, the document says.
Reconstruction will only be allowed in areas that are designated as demilitarized, it says.
EIGHT MONTH DISARMAMENT PLAN
The October ceasefire left Israel in control of well over half of Gaza, with Hamas keeping a firm grip on the other half of the enclave and its two million people, most of whom are homeless after two years of relentless Israeli bombardment.
Hamas, committed to armed resistance and sworn to Israel’s destruction, has publicly rejected calls to disarm in recent months. But in private, Hamas officials have voiced openness to disarmament so long as it is done along a political track that would see the establishment of a Palestinian state. The 12-point plan makes no mention of Palestinian statehood or independence.
According to the plan’s timeline, the first stage, consisting of 15 days, would see the NCAG take security and administrative control of Gaza and begin preparatory steps for weapons collection.
In the second stage, days 16-40, Israel would remove all heavy weapons from areas under its control, including heavy artillery and tanks, and an international security force would be deployed.
The third stage, from days 31-90, would be the most intensive: Hamas would give all its heavy weapons and military equipment to NCAG, and “will allow the destruction of all tunnels, explosives, and military infrastructure”.
In the fourth stage, from day 91-250, NCAG’s police forces would collect and register all remaining weapons including guns and rifles. Israeli forces would begin to withdraw in stages.
The fifth stage is described as “final verification” of disarmament, and would see “Israeli forces withdraw completely from Gaza except for a presence in a security perimeter, and the start of comprehensive reconstruction efforts.”
(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi; editing by Rami Ayyub, Sharon Singleton, Peter Graff)
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