Tánaiste Simon Harris has welcomed US president Donald Trump’s proposed peace deal for the Middle East as “a chance now to silence the guns, secure the release of hostages and get vitally needed humanitarian aid into Gaza”.
Mr Harris urged Hamas to agree to the ceasefire deal, which Mr Trump said “calls for the release of all hostages immediately and in no case more than 72 hours”.
Mr Trump announced a 20-point plan on Monday to bring about “an immediate end to the war” in Gaza in an agreement he hailed as “potentially one of the great days ever in civilisation”.
The plan replaces international demands for a two-state solution in favour of an international board of peace to provide transitional governance.
READ MORE
The board would include former UK prime minister Tony Blair and be chaired by the US president.
[ Trump and Netanyahu’s new Gaza plan is a far cry from ‘the Riviera of the East’Opens in new window ]
The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs said the two-state solution “offers a path to peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike. This plan can contribute to achieving this. This war has gone on for too long, at terrible, unconscionable cost in human life and suffering.”
The Tánaiste said it was clear from his meetings at the UN General Assembly last week that “there was a major push and effort from many Arab nations to engage” with Mr Trump to find a way forward.
In a statement on Tuesday, Mr Harris welcomed commitment by Arab and Islamic partners to support the proposed peace plan.
“This war has gone on for too long, at terrible, unconscionable cost in human life and suffering,” he said. “Now is the time for all to use their influence to bring about genuine and lasting peace.”
If the plan is accepted, Gaza will be governed by a “transitional” and “technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee”, including local and international experts.
Joining Mr Trump at the White House on Monday, Israel’s prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu said that Israel will accept the plan “for ending the war in Gaza as it achieves our war aims”.
However, he warned that if Hamas were to either reject or fail to adhere to the terms of the peace proposals, his government would return to the military onslaught that has resulted in the estimated death of 66,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.
“If they reject your plan, Mr President, or if they supposedly accept it, and then do everything they can to counter it, then Israel will finish the job by itself. This can be done the easy way or the hard way, but it will be done.”
