A Tail of Two Peace Plans

TRUMP’S PEACE PLAN SEPTEMBER 2025

1. Gaza will be a deradicalised, terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbours.

2. Gaza will be redeveloped for the benefit of the people of Gaza, who have suffered more than enough.

3. If both sides agree to this proposal, the war will immediately end. Israeli forces will withdraw to the agreed-upon line to prepare for a hostage release. During this time, all military operations, including aerial and artillery bombardment, will be suspended, and battle lines will remain frozen until conditions are met for the complete staged withdrawal.

4. Within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting this agreement, all hostages, alive and deceased, will be returned.

5. Once all hostages are released, Israel will release 250 life sentence prisoners plus 1,700 Gazans who were detained after 7 October 2023, including all women and children detained in that context. For every Israeli hostage whose remains are released, Israel will release the remains of 15 deceased Gazans.

6. Once all hostages are returned, Hamas members who commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons will be given amnesty. Members of Hamas who wish to leave Gaza will be provided safe passage to receiving countries.

7. Upon acceptance of this agreement, full aid will be immediately sent into the Gaza Strip. At a minimum, aid quantities will be consistent with what was included in the 19 January 2025 agreement regarding humanitarian aid, including rehabilitation of infrastructure (water, electricity, sewage), rehabilitation of hospitals and bakeries, and entry of necessary equipment to remove rubble and open roads.

8. Entry of distribution and aid in the Gaza Strip will proceed without interference from the two parties through the United Nations and its agencies, and the Red Crescent, in addition to other international institutions not associated in any manner with either party. Opening the Rafah crossing in both directions will be subject to the same mechanism implemented under 19 January 2025 agreement.

9. Gaza will be governed under the temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, responsible for delivering the day-to-day running of public services and municipalities for the people in Gaza. This committee will be made up of qualified Palestinians and international experts, with oversight and supervision by a new international transitional body, the “Board of Peace,” which will be headed and chaired by President Donald J. Trump, with other members and heads of state to be announced, including Former Prime Minister Tony Blair. This body will set the framework and handle the funding for the redevelopment of Gaza until such time as the Palestinian Authority has completed its reform programme, as outlined in various proposals, including President Trump’s peace plan in 2020 and the Saudi-French proposal, and can securely and effectively take back control of Gaza. This body will call on best international standards to create modern and efficient governance that serves the people of Gaza and is conducive to attracting investment.

10. A Trump economic development plan to rebuild and energise Gaza will be created by convening a panel of experts who have helped birth some of the thriving modern miracle cities in the Middle East. Many thoughtful investment proposals and exciting development ideas have been crafted by well-meaning international groups, and will be considered to synthesize the security and governance frameworks to attract and facilitate these investments that will create jobs, opportunity, and hope for future Gaza.

11. A special economic zone will be established with preferred tariff and access rates to be negotiated with participating countries.

12. No one will be forced to leave Gaza, and those who wish to leave will be free to do so and free to return. We will encourage people to stay and offer them the opportunity to build a better Gaza.

13. Hamas and other factions agree to not have any role in the governance of Gaza, directly, indirectly, or in any form. All military, terror, and offensive infrastructure, including tunnels and weapon production facilities, will be destroyed and not rebuilt. There will be a process of demilitarisation of Gaza under the supervision of independent monitors, which will include placing weapons permanently beyond use through an agreed process of decommissioning, and supported by an internationally funded buy back and reintegration programme all verified by the independent monitors. New Gaza will be fully committed to building a prosperous economy and to peaceful coexistence with their neighbours.

14. A guarantee will be provided by regional partners to ensure that Hamas and the factions comply with their obligations and that New Gaza poses no threat to its neighbours or its people.

15. The United States will work with Arab and international partners to develop a temporary International Stabilisation Force (ISF) to immediately deploy in Gaza. The ISF will train and provide support to vetted Palestinian police forces in Gaza, and will consult with Jordan and Egypt, who have extensive experience in this field. This force will be the long-term internal security solution. The ISF will work with Israel and Egypt to help secure border areas, along with newly trained Palestinian police forces. It is critical to prevent munitions from entering Gaza and to facilitate the rapid and secure flow of goods to rebuild and revitalise Gaza. A deconfliction mechanism will be agreed upon by the parties.

16. Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza. As the ISF establishes control and stability, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) will withdraw based on standards, milestones, and timeframes linked to demilitarisation that will be agreed upon between the IDF, ISF, the guarantors, and the United States, with the objective of a secure Gaza that no longer poses a threat to Israel, Egypt, or its citizens. Practically, the IDF will progressively hand over the Gaza territory it occupies to the ISF according to an agreement they will make with the transitional authority until they are withdrawn completely from Gaza, save for a security perimeter presence that will remain until Gaza is properly secure from any resurgent terror threat.

17. In the event Hamas delays or rejects this proposal, the above, including the scaled-up aid operation, will proceed in the terror-free areas handed over from the IDF to the ISF.

18. An interfaith dialogue process will be established based on the values of tolerance and peaceful co-existence to try and change the mindsets and narratives of Palestinians and Israelis by emphasising the benefits that can be derived from peace.

19. While Gaza re-development advances and when the PA reform programme is faithfully carried out, the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, which we recognise as the aspiration of the Palestinian people.

20. The United States will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous co-existence.

SHARMA’S PEACE PLAN NOVEMBER 2023

The issues:

1. There are 500,000 settlers on occupied lands and more on the way. The question is, will any new Israeli government have the balls to face down the far-right religious fanatic settler movement in the West Bank? It is these settlers who are engaged in a form of ethnic cleansing by using intimidation to clear Palestinians from their villages with the blessing of assault rifles issued by Ben Gavir.
2. There must be a right of return for Palestinians scattered across the region.
3. An infrastructure designed that connects Gaza and the West Bank.
4. A new Palestinian State needs to be secular and democratic. Recognise Israel under international law and become a full member of the UN and non-aligned.
5. The need for a new generation of Palestinian politicians who understand that a democratic mandate is a privilege, not a possession.
6. The Jerusalem conundrum.
7. Will the Israeli electorate give peace a chance by removing Netanyahu and his current far-right partners, who are not acting in the interest of all Israeli citizens?

The How:

1. Israel and militant groups must commit to a complete cessation of violence before any serious negotiations can start.
2. In addition, Hamas and its counterparts must recognise Israel’s right to exist.
3. Hamas must release all hostages taken on October 7^th, including IDF personnel.
4. Palestinians need to come to the table with a single voice, and Israel needs to accept that elements of Hamas will make up part of that single voice.
5. Israel must show, not just goodwill but an intention to work towards a two-state solution. This may include the process of releasing the 5,000 Palestinian prisoners languishing in Israeli prisons, some of whom are children.
6. 500 square KM carved from the West Bank and Israel to create a new Jewish province within a new Israeli border, where settlers will be supported to build a new and safe home.
7. Any new Palestinian state must not pose a military threat to Israel.
8. A 10-year investment plan by the international community to support economic and social investment to build a viable and sustainable Palestinian State.
9. Regional players from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, and other major players in the region put together a fund in conjunction with Israel to compensate West Bank settlers to move to this new province. The figure would be, for example $50,000 per settler, costing $25 billion with an additional commitment of $25 billion from the region and Israel to support the redevelopment phase. The regional powers are to commit an additional $ 200 billion to start the process of building a viable Palestinian State. The international community and institutions such as the World Bank will also play a key role. The cost to the regional powers will be to the tune of $225 billion, which is just what Qatar spent on hosting the football World Cup.
10. A George Mitchell-type figure must be appointed, with all the necessary infrastructure and expertise to assist in negotiations and document the agreed settlement.
11. The US, the EU, the UK, and others must make a concerted long-term and relentless effort to support the only solution to the conflict, which is the creation of a viable and democratic Palestinian state.
12. The negotiating process needs to be time-limited, to ensure there is a focus on the goal and that bad actors do not try and derail the process.
13. The process must be prepared for a tragic, disruptive event that attempts to scupper the process, such as the Omagh Bombing in 1998.
14. Any peace process must include a variation of the Abraham Accords, making the two issues intertwined. Let us be honest, the Abraham Accords were about Israel getting Arab investment, the Arabs getting Israeli technology and poking the Iranian regime in the eye.
15. Jerusalem should be managed as a location of special global interest, run by an international body. Not anyone’s capital, but a tripartite arrangement where all the Abrahamic traditions, Jews, Christians, and Muslims can embrace the traditions of their faith.
16. Using the experience of Northern Ireland, there will be a need for a decommissioning process overseen by people that both parties are comfortable with. In our case, it was men of peace, one Catholic priest, one Protestant Minister and a respected high-ranking military person.

What has been made clear by the US Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, is that there is no going back to the pre-October 7^th Status Quo, and you do not need to have been a rocket scientist to have worked that out.

Suneil Sharma

6th October 2025

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