By Asif Shahzad
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -The 20 points that U.S. President Donald Trump announced this week under his plan to end the war in Gaza were not in line with a draft presented to him by a group of Muslim-majority countries, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Friday.
The group had proposed a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza during a September 22 meeting with Trump, whereas his plan envisages a partial Israeli pullback to prepare for a release of remaining hostages held by Palestinian Hamas militants.
“I have made it clear that these 20 points which Trump has made public are … not the same as ours. I say that some changes have been made in it, in the draft we had,” Dar said in remarks to Pakistani lawmakers.
PLAN TO END WAR BETWEEN ISRAEL AND HAMAS MILITANTS
Trump on Monday published a 20-point blueprint for ending the war between Israel and Hamas under which all hostages, living and dead, would be returned within 72 hours of a ceasefire. It refers to a redeveloped “New Gaza” in future.
The plan leaves many details for negotiators to hash out and hinges on acceptance by Hamas, which killed over 1,200 people in its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and took 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza has killed over 66,000 Palestinians and widely demolished the small enclave, according to Gaza health authorities.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had earlier welcomed Trump’s plan. Sharif while in transit had given a general response to Trump’s broader social media post, Dar said.
Trump unveiled his plan a week after meeting leaders of eight Muslim nations – Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia and Pakistan – to discuss the situation in Gaza.
The Trump administration wants Arab and Muslim countries to agree to send military forces to Gaza to enable Israel’s withdrawal and to secure funding for transition and rebuilding programs, Axios reported.
MUSLIM NATIONS PROPOSED FULL ISRAELI WITHDRAWAL
Dar said the eight nations received a commitment from Trump that he would not allow an Israeli annexation of the occupied West Bank, which far-right allies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his governing coalition have called for.
A consensus draft prepared by the Muslim countries asked for a “full Israeli withdrawal” and “a path for a just peace on the basis of the two-state solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Dar said, reading from a copy of their proposal.
The creation of a Palestinian state co-existing with Israel is Pakistani policy, he said. Netanyahu has repeatedly ruled out Palestinian statehood, saying this would endanger Israel.
The Trump plan said all military operations would be suspended and battle lines frozen in Gaza until conditions were met for a “complete staged withdrawal” of Israeli forces.
Hamas would have to disarm under Trump’s plan and on Tuesday he gave the Islamist group three to four days to accept it.
The plan envisages a “Board of Peace” of international overseers led by Trump himself and including former British prime minister Tony Blair in an undefined role.
Gaza would get a temporary, transitional government consisting of a “technocratic, apolitical” committee made up of Palestinians and international experts.
(Reporting by Asif Shahzad; writing by Hritam Mukherjee; editing by YP Rajesh, Kim Coghill and Mark Heinrich)
